Blood Bond
by 12lcaldwell
Summary: What happens when Klaus and Caroline exchange blood after he bites her in the Gilbert house? How will they manage building a friendship, and potentially a relationship, while facing all the drama associated with being a supernatural in Mystic Falls? Set after 4x12. Rated T for language. Klaroline friendship/romance.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Caroline Forbes rolled over to face her alarm clock, waiting for it to hit 6:25 and go off. Kol Mikaelson was dead and up until now the Original Family had been taking it easy on the Mystic Falls vampires, but that was _definitely_ not going to happen now that they had killed their baby brother. She knew why Elena had wanted to kill Kol – to protect Jeremy – but a big part of her was angry at her best friend. They had killed _an Original_. Not only did Kol Mikaelson die – and honestly, good riddance – but every single vampire that was ever sired from his bloodline had died as well. The longer she thought about it, the more exhausted she felt. Elena had been her best friend since they were toddlers, but this was a new level of selfishness even for her. They might have told Klaus that they had to kill Kol to keep Jeremy safe, but everyone knew it was also so Elena could take the cure.

Her alarm finally kicked on, loudly playing the latest Taylor Swift song, and she reached over to turn it off. After ten minutes of staring at the ceiling, Caroline rolled out of bed and shuffled her way down the hall to shower. She stood under the spray for a for half a second before she realized it was more than hot – it was literally melting her skin with vervain – and fell over the edge of the tub in her rush to exit. _What the hell?_ she thought to herself as she hurried to pat her skin dry with the nearest hand towel. Foregoing the shower in favor of some vervain-free dry shampoo and a quick swish of mouthwash, Caroline pulled on her cardigan just as Tyler's ringtone popped up on her phone.

"Tyler, thank God you're ok! Where are you right now? Have you tried to shower? Why the _hell_ is there vervain in my house's water?"

"Care, I'm fine, the water situation is the same at my place – Jeremy told me that Mayor Hopkins put vervain in the town water supply – but that's not why I'm calling. I'm heading over to the Gilbert house right now. Klaus is trapped inside the living room and someone needs to watch him to make sure he doesn't get out," Caroline could almost hear the excitement in his voice at the chance to gloat over Klaus while he was trapped and couldn't fight back. This was not going to go well.

"I'll leave my place now and meet you over there; Tyler, don't do anything crazy, ok?" her voice softened at the end, hopefully Tyler would listen to her without making a big deal about her and Klaus again.

She heard a snort over the phone, "See you soon, Care." And the line went dead.

Caroline flashed downstairs to her kitchen and grabbed a blood bag to finish healing and headed to her car as soon as she was done. A few minutes later she pulled into the Gilbert driveway and walked through the kitchen door.

"You're still here? What are you doing?" both Tyler and Klaus were tense, and she decided to focus on getting her boyfriend to leave the _clearly_ dangerous house before something else happened.

"Gloating," Tyler poured himself a drink even though it's barely 9:30 in the morning. She can hear footsteps in the other room and turned to Klaus.

"Hello, Caroline," She quickly breaks eye contact – this is not the friendly Klaus she went on a date with – and tries again to talk some sense into Tyler.

"Come home. Don't stoop to his level!" she reaches for Tyler, but he moves away before her hand can rest on his arm.

"He destroyed my life, I plan on being present for every second of his until I can kill him myself," Tyler almost growls.

Caroline takes a deep breath, _ok, we'll stay here for a while,_ she thinks. "Fine, you can gloat and multitask. This place is a disaster, starting with the horrific burnt corpse." She drapes a spare tablecloth over Kol's charred body and catches a glimpse of Klaus watching her – are those tears in his eyes?

"Tyler's mother is dead. So is my brother, we're even." Caroline turns to face Klaus, "Call Bonnie, get her to let me out of here."

Was he delusional? He actually thought that she would try to help him after he'd tried to kill Elena _again_. Her rage simmered to the surface, "I will never, ever, help you" she seethed.

Klaus took a step closer to the barrier, "How quickly you forget the part where I saved Tyler from the misery of being a werewolf; or the night your mother invited me into her home to save the life of her precious daughter" he sneered.

That's it. He truly didn't see that his "heroic deeds" were to fix a mess that _he_ caused. "How delusional are you? You killed his _mother_ ," although the thought that it was not that different from them killing two brothers flickered in the back of her mind. "And let's not forget that we're standing in a house where Elena's aunt Jenna used to live, or did you think your charm would make us forget how you killed her too?" he glanced down quickly then met her eyes with equal anger, but she was finished. "You know what? No. I am not going to engage in this, you are not even worth the calories I burn talking to you." Caroline huffed in simultaneous anger and satisfaction – she had put him in his place – when she was pierced through the stomach and yanked across the barrier.

She felt his hands in her hair as he forced her head to the side, exposing her neck, and bit into her savagely. As she fell to the ground in shock and pain she heard him mock Tyler with, "Now that was definitely worth the calories," before she slipped out of consciousness.

* * *

Caroline floated back to consciousness and vaguely understood that Tyler was begging Klaus for her life. She'd had enough of this and moaned, "Get me out of here, I can't even look at him." As she was walking away, she caught a glimpse of Klaus looking less satisfied than she expected – good, he should feel guilty about killing her.

Upstairs, in Elena's bed, Caroline trembled. "It's getting worse, I'm sorry," she mumbled.

"No. It's my fault, I'm sorry," Tyler stroked her arm.

"No! You didn't do any of this!" she couldn't have Tyler feeling guilty about her death, he needed to move on – revenge would only get him killed.

"I unsired the hybrids and turned them on Klaus, I should've just left it alone." Now that part might be true, but she couldn't let him spiral.

She looked up into his eyes, "You freed them, Tyler. People put their faith in you because you're a leader. Don't forget that." _When I'm gone,_ she left out.

He glanced down and looked up with renewed determination, "Then you trust me?"

* * *

Tyler gently lowered her to the floor right outside the barrier, "You want to be in control, Klaus? Here, now _you_ get to be in control of her life. If you want her to die, fine, but you can sit here and watch her die yourself." He slowly backed up, then walked out the back door.

Caroline turned her head to look up at Klaus walking towards her, _please, please, please._

"Nothing personal, love. If I cure you, that means victory for him" he could see her sweating forehead. "Don't worry, it won't be long now."

 _Great,_ she thought, _what was the point of having an Original Hybrid obsessed with you if he was the one to kill you? What happened to her being 'full of light'? Fuck this._ She slowly sat up and scooted to the couch, "A little help?"

He hesitated. That goddamn hybrid hesitated to help her onto a couch while she was _dying_. She could see his jaw clench before he reached out to lift her, but he did get her settled somewhat comfortably on the cushions before he moved to the opposite side of the room. She wasn't going to let him off that easily.

With some effort, she turned her shoulders to face him, "For what it's worth, I'm sorry about Kol."

That seemed to shock him. He turned his face away from her before speaking, "He was in a coffin the majority of his life, he will hardly be missed."

Caroline noted the set of his shoulders and his clenched jaw, _right_ , she thought. "I know how important your family is to you, Klaus. I also know the list of people you care about is getting shorter and shorter. Don't do this to me," she thought for a moment about what her death would mean. "God don't do this to yourself!"

Nothing. He didn't move a single muscle. Caroline sighed and shifted to make herself more comfortable and a groan escaped her, "If you don't feed me your blood, I'll die."

"Then you'll die, and Tyler will have learned his lesson the hard way." Still no change in his posture.

"How could you do this to him? To his mom? _To me_?" Great. Now she was repeating herself, it must be the venom.

"I'm a thousand years old. Call it boredom."

"I don't believe you," it was getting harder to speak through the pain and the sweat over her body was making her feel clammy.

"Fine. Then maybe it's because I'm pure evil, and I can't help myself" he still wouldn't look at her. Bastard.

"It's because you were hurt," he slowly turned his head towards her, _Yes!_ "Which means that there is a part of you that is human." He pushed off the wall and made his way over to the couch.

"How could you possibly think that?"

"Because I've seen it. Because," God, was she really going to tell him, of all people, this truth? Apparently. "Because I've caught myself wishing that I could forget all of the horrible things that you've done."

"But you can't, can you?"

Caroline took a moment to rationalize this next part in her head. She knew it was true, but to admit it would be to admit to Klaus that she wasn't immune to him. That she felt their connection too, however much she tried to deny it. "I know that you're in love with me, and anyone capable of being loved is capable of being saved."

He broke eye contact as his filled with water, "You're hallucinating."

She gave a slight chuckle and closed her eyes, "I guess I'll never know." It was so hard to breath. _God,_ her neck hurt _so bad_. She seemed to be dying much faster than the last time she was bitten. Maybe Klaus' venom was more potent, maybe it was something about being bitten a _second freaking time_. She felt her body jerk involuntarily, then, she felt nothing.

"Caroline? Caroline!"

* * *

She came to with Klaus' bleeding wrist pressed against her mouth and her body pressed against the hybrid himself. Her hands reached up without her consent to hold his wrist closer, _Holy shit, his blood was amazing!_ After her third pull, she felt her body grow unbearably hot and had to rip herself away from Klaus' warm body. She flopped onto the opposite end of the couch, panting, and reached up to touch her neck – healed. _What the hell is going on?_ She looked to Klaus for answers, but he was hunched over with his elbows on his knees, panting, as he tried to control himself. _Was he shifting? No. No, this couldn't be happening!_

He raised his head and made eye contact, blazing yellow to her sea blue, and she scrambled off the couch and across the barrier. With a low growl, Klaus fell to all fours and completed his transition. Fuck.

* * *

A/N: This is my second attempt at posting a fanfic, I would love reviews! Seriously, anything is welcome - plot line ideas, questions, plot holes I might have missed...literally anything. The next chapter should be up in a couple days and that's where we'll really start diverging from canon. Thanks for reading!


	2. Chapter 2

Blood Bond

Chapter 2

Caroline landed hard on her ass in her haste to get across the barrier before Klaus finished transitioning – and he was fast, way faster than it had been when she waited for Tyler during his first full moon. She looked up to see a large tawny wolf stalking towards her and her breath caught. Her body still felt incredibly hot – was it even possible for vampires to get fevers? – and she felt an insane desire to touch the predator that was clearly ready to snap at her body. Forcing herself to take some deep breaths, Caroline moved to her knees and fanned herself with her hands.

 _Ok, so Klaus is a wolf now. That's…inconvenient,_ she thought. Her face was feeling less sweaty, so she let her hands drop to her thighs and looked at the wolf across from her. She'd never been able to do anything like this with Tyler since the chains and doors in the Lockwood cellar weren't quite strong enough – but there was no way Klaus could cross Bonnie's magical barrier. Klaus gazed back at her, although who knew if he was even aware that she was Caroline and not just any other vampire. He made a low growling noise and his ears moved slightly forward. Was that happy or angry? God, she so needed a dog or something growing up. Klaus lowered his body to the floor near the barrier and rested his head on his front legs while maintaining eye contact.

The longer Caroline stared at wolf-Klaus the more she wanted to cross that stupid barrier again. Ugh. She was so not up for another wolf bite in the same night though – who knew if Klaus would be feeling generous or guilty again so soon and heal her? She settled for inching as close to the barrier as she could and sitting cross-legged.

"So…that's not how I thought this was going to go if I'm being honest," Caroline half-laughed as she spoke to the wolf. Could he even understand her? Tyler was usually out of control as a wolf and would try to tear through anything in his path. "Thank you for saving me; I know it was difficult for you."

Wolf-Klaus tilted his head a little to the side and Caroline took that for curiosity. "Thank God you're so calm, I don't want to have to clean up after you if you destroy the living room," what was there even to say? Why was she staying? She should just leave, she knew that, but she couldn't. Klaus healed her, and she knows how painful it is to transition and he'll have a hell of a recovery whenever he shifts back. He'd need blood and he had no way to get it, trapped in the living room. "How long do you think you'll stay this way? Like, could you change back now? It's a little unnerving talking to you like this," she's rambling but she really can't seem to stop herself.

She scooted closer as she talked and could now comfortable reach out to touch him if she wanted. Dammit, she wanted, even though she knew it was the stupidest thing she could possibly do. She kept her eyes on his and slowly reached her hand towards his shoulder. Taking a deep breath, she crossed the barrier and let her hand hover above the large wolf. He lowered his head in what could be called a nod – if wolves even could nod – and her hand landed. His fur was surprising soft, she wasn't sure what she was expecting – you know, never having pet a wolf before – and she threaded her fingers deeper into his pelt.

As she gently scratched at his fur and inched closer he let out a low grumble that Caroline took as acceptance for this incredibly weird situation. "What is going on, Klaus?" she murmured. Then it hit her – this was Klaus freaking Mikaelson. He killed people! He terrorized her friends and murdered Tyler's mom and _bit her_ to spite them! She almost fell over herself in her rush to scramble back across the barrier.

"Turn back _right now_ ," Caroline flashed upstairs to grab some of Jeremy's clothes and came back to a wolf standing at the barrier looking intently at her. "Klaus. Turn back. If you can't tell me what the _hell_ is going on here, I'm leaving." She tossed the clothes through the barrier and moved to the kitchen to get something – anything – to drink. She settled on vodka and a blood bag and grabbed one for Klaus as an afterthought. The low whimper from the other room told her that Klaus had listened, so she counted to one hundred to calm herself – and give him time to get dressed – before going back.

She eyed him from behind the kitchen table then slowly made her way into the living room to sit back on the couch. "What was that? Do you have any idea how dangerous that was?! You _literally_ just healed me and then – what? You want to bite me again? Is this some sick never-ending game for you?" she couldn't stay seated throughout her rant and paced the room, waving her arms.

Klaus had the decency to look serious, "Caroline, listen to me very carefully. I will _never_ harm you."

She scoffed loudly, "Oh that's rich. So, an hour ago on the couch was what? A peaceful nap? _You bit me, Klaus._ I could have _died_."

His eye gave a slight twitch and he clenched his fists, "That was before, love. Don't tell me you didn't feel it; like you were burning up from the inside? You're my mate." he practically growled the last bit like it was something difficult for _him_ to accept.

She froze with her hands in her curls. No. That wasn't possible. Sure, she'd read Twilight and all that, but this was real life and vampires don't have freaking mates because mates aren't freaking real! "Stop. Stop right there because that's not possible. One – you're like a million years old and I'm _eighteen_. You'd think that you'd have a mate _a little_ closer to your own age. Two – I'm a vampire, not a wolf. Vampires don't mate for life, especially not with wolves because _wolves kill vampires_. And three – I can't be your mate; my friends would _kill_ me! You're trapped in here because you tried to kill my friends, _again_."

She sat back on the couch and pulled a pillow into her lap to shield herself from his prying gaze. "Do you think this is what I want, Caroline? A baby vampire as a mate? I'm in the middle of a _war_ with your idiotic friends to keep the cure from being used against me! Now I have a weakness that can be used against me and we both know they will; you've played the part of the blonde distraction so well in the past," he sneered.

Ouch, admittedly Caroline didn't really want to be Klaus' mate or whatever, but she didn't appreciate the rejection from him. This is probably what Klaus felt every time Caroline shut him down. She raised the bottle of vodka to her lips and took a long drink, "Well, then. Now that we've got that sorted out, how do we break this stupid mate bond? I'll call Bonnie and she can fix it as soon as she gets back. No more mates for us." Another long drink.

Klaus sat on the opposite end of the couch and reached for the bottle which she silently passed him. He grimaced at the label but still drank. "That won't be happening, love. From what I've read, a bonded pair can only form an emotional attachment to each other so if you break this – that's it; you won't be able to love anyone else. And I, for one, don't fancy being alone the rest of my existence."

How flattering. She snatched the bottle out of Klaus' hand and tried to drink away her emotions but her damn vampire healing was too fast. "Where did you learn this crap? Wikipedia?"

He smirked, "Actually, I've been fairly interested in wolf lore for the past millennia or so and have done extensive reading on all subjects' wolf-related."

Of course, he had. What else does a bajillion year-old vampire do with his free time when he isn't terrorizing towns and enacting revenge schemes on people who had the audacity to defy him? "Show me."

He spread his arms to gesture at their surroundings, "You may have forgotten, love, but I'm indisposed at the moment."

Caroline stood and crossed the border grabbing her purse, "Fine, I'll find it myself. I assume your gaudy mansion is unlocked?" she didn't wait for a response as she flashed out the door towards her car. She paused with her key in the ignition and thunked her head against the steering wheel before stomping back inside to pick up Kol. The least she could do was put his body somewhere safe, so it wouldn't be desecrated by Klaus' future tantrums. She gently wrapped the tablecloth around his body and lifted him in both arms, "I'll put him somewhere safe in your house."

Klaus nodded slightly from his stance at the edge of the barrier and she left.

* * *

Mikaelson Manor was, in fact, unlocked but she supposed it wouldn't have been too difficult to break the door if she'd needed to – vampire perks. She quickly deposited Kol on a sofa in what looked like a parlor – what do rich people need with all these rooms anyway? – and made her way through the main floor looking for a library. She found it on her third door and made her way to a shelf full of old leather-bound books – grimoires. God, there were at least forty of them. She pulled one down and settled herself in an armchair to flip through the pages looking for anything related to werewolves.

An hour and a half – and one blood bag – later she found the first mention of wolves' mating habits. Apparently, werewolves can mate for life and typically find their partner within the first two years of triggering their curse. Huh, maybe that was cumulative years? Klaus had originally triggered his curse a thousand years ago, but his werewolf side must have been locked up soon after that. Maybe the clock started when he broke the Sun and the Moon curse. She kept reading to find that common traits in mated pairs include an intense desire for physical contact, feeling safe when together, sharing strong emotions across the bond, and deep love. Ugh, this sounded inconvenient, to say the least.

Halfway through the grimoires Caroline still hadn't found any explanation for how a werewolf could bond with a vampire, but she guessed there was a first time to everything since there was also never any mention of a werewolf-vampire hybrid and that was clearly possible. Giving up for now, Caroline made her way up to the second floor – if she was going to be here, she was going to try to help her friends in any way she could.

She started her search for information about the cure or anything Mystic Falls related in the study off the main staircase. Most of the papers on the desk were well organized and not particularly interesting, but she did take photos of a few of them on her phone. One notebook looked like a journal and she flipped through to a marked page and began reading about Rebekah's romance with an Alexander. Caroline paused to consider the invasion of privacy but continued after rationalizing that Rebekah was sort of a bitch. The ending was even worse through Rebekah's point of view and she didn't find any new information.

She snapped the journal closed and moved on to what looked like an art studio. A couple of the paintings she recognized as Klaus' style and she paused to scrutinize them before rifling through the sketches on the table and coming to stop when a pair of familiar eyes looked back at her. It was evident that this was Klaus' work – she could compare the sketch lines to the drawing he'd given her after the ball. They were stunning, but she'd had enough. It was time to go back to Elena's house and continue baby-sitting Klaus to make sure he didn't burn the house down in a fit of rage or something.

* * *

It was nearly six in the morning when Caroline got back to the Gilbert house and barely glanced at Klaus before making her way to Elena's bedroom. What was she going to do? She couldn't be Klaus' freaky wolf-mate, he _killed_ people for _fun_! Hell, he had a thousand years of mayhem and murder under his belt and she was a literal teenager. Her stomach tightened with nerves as she thought about what she could possibly say to her friends to make this ok. Oh God, she'd have to tell her mom.

Suddenly she felt a calmness spread over her that didn't feel like her own. "Get some sleep, love. We can worry about this in the morning." Klaus murmured from downstairs so, she slept.

* * *

Caroline moaned and rolled away from the sun shining through the window and tried to ignore the birds outside. Damn birds. It was barely eight A.M. and she definitely needed more sleep. And coffee. She reached over to check her phone and found four texts from Tyler asking if she was ok. Rolling out of bed, she stumbled her way down the stairs and started the coffee maker then leaned her head against the cool counter.

"Good morning, Caroline," Ugh, he sounded well-rested and satisfied. What an ass. She didn't bother moving until she heard the coffee finish filtering into the pot.

Pouring herself a cup, she leaned her hip against the counter and looked over at the hybrid. He sat relaxed on the couch with one foot resting on the opposite knee looking completely at home. Finishing, she moved to pour herself another and grabbed a mug for Klaus as well taking both into the living room. She sat in the armchair across from him, put his mug on a coaster, then leaned back and closed her eyes while she sipped her second cup in an effort to feel less like a zombie.

"Find anything interesting last night, love?" he had a smirk in his voice and she could hear him sipping his coffee.

Apparently, they were having this discussion now – bright and early. "I read about half of the grimoires in your library. How did you make me feel calm last night?" she didn't need to discuss whether they were or were not mates anymore – she was, unfortunately, sure of it.

He seemed surprised at her question but explained nonetheless, "I could feel your nerves increasing so I calmed myself and tried to send that feeling to you." He made it sound simple. "I take it you have stopped denying that we are, indeed, bonded?"

She laughed slightly at that, what choice did she have? She glanced up as her phone rang, "Hey, Elena! How's the hunt for the cure going?" she turned her body slightly away from Klaus even though he could hear the conversation anyway.

"Not good; Shane, Bonnie, and Jeremy have all disappeared. Shane needs Bonnie to cast a spell on Jer's tattoo to find the cure and he managed to sneak them both out from under our noses."

"I'm so sorry, I wish I was there to help!" seriously, then she wouldn't be stuck in this ridiculous situation with Klaus.

"There is something you could do; we have pictures of Jeremy's tattoos, but we can't translate them…"

"Unless you get the sword from Klaus," Caroline finished for her. She turned to the hybrid who gave her an innocent look. "Don't worry, I'm on it. Email me the pictures," she said a quick goodbye and turned to face Klaus fully.

"Come on, love. You can't expect me to give up that easily," Klaus stretched his arms as a smirk stretched across his face.

God, why did he always have to make things difficult? "What do you want, Klaus?"

"A date. I want you to take a chance, get to know me – we are mates after all," that last part, at least, was said with an almost genuine smile.

Their last date at the Miss Mystic Pageant hadn't been awful, in fact it was almost good when she could forget about the serial killer lurking inside the man sitting next to her. "Fine. We'll stay within 30 miles of Mystic Falls, it will last no more than three hours, and there will be absolutely no killing," she strictly laid out her terms.

That got a grin from the hybrid who agreed and divulged the location of the sword. Great – back to Mikaelson Manor.

* * *

A/N: Thanks so much for the awesome reviews on the last chapter! I tweaked a few things in this one based on a couple suggestions :) More reviews are always welcomed (and by welcomed I mean - please review!). Chapter 3 should be up on Friday


	3. Chapter 3

Blood Bond

Chapter 3

From her car Caroline texted Tyler to let him know she was fine and headed to his place. As soon as she parked in the Lockwood driveway he bounded out the front door to crush her in a hug before leaning back, "Care, thank God you're ok, I was up all night worrying!"

Caroline rested her head against his familiar shoulder, "Sorry I didn't get back to you sooner, my phone died." It was just a small lie and definitely better than trying to explain her freaky mate-bond with the man who murdered his mother and all his pack members.

He tilted her chin up to kiss her and she threw herself into it hoping to feel some sort of sign that she could love someone other than her murderous mate. No butterflies, no tingles, no spark. Dammit. She opened her mouth to let his tongue slide across hers and nibbled his lower lip but was just going through the motions. Pulling away, she took a step back from Tyler and leaned against her open car door. "Elena called, I need to get the Hunter's sword from Klaus' house to help. Will you come with me?" Hopefully some time with Tyler would help push out the growing feelings she had for Klaus.

In answer, he flashed back to close his front door and climbed into her passenger seat and they were at Mikaelson Manor in less than ten minutes. It was seriously beautiful but she would never admit that to Klaus - it was easier to keep him at a distance with sharp barbs instead. Caroline walked through the front door with no hesitation, steered Tyler away from the parlor with Kol's charred body and led him further into the house. They spent the next fifteen minutes searching the rooms on the second floor before she casually suggested looking in the pool room where she knew the sword would be. There was no way she wanted to discuss her bargain with Klaus right now, so it was easier to spend a little extra time searching in the wrong places.

The pool itself was perfect - of course - and Caroline was dying to jump in and scrub the dried blood off her body. Changing clothes could only do so much when she couldn't take a shower for fear of vervain burns. Digging her fingernails into the seam of the wall panel, Caroline pulled until it came free and the sword tumbled out with a clang. Shrugging off her amazing find to Tyler with some comment about a dent in the wall, they quickly wrapped it in a spare towel and hurried out. She couldn't help glancing back through the floor-to-ceiling windows to look at the gardens, but stopped before she started picturing spending her life there.

* * *

"Well, if it isn't little Orphan Lockwood. Come to show how laughably impotent you are against me?" Caroline felt an annoyance that wasn't her own rising up in her – Klaus must not appreciate Tyler being there. Too bad.

She shot a glare at Klaus and explained, "We're just trying to help our friends find the cure. If you happened to want to help, we wouldn't stop you." She sat down to pull out the photos of Jeremy's tattoo that she'd printed off and laid them across the table next to the sword. The leather wrapping on the handle seemed to be a bit loose and fell off completely when she pulled on it. Beneath, there was a series of symbols that rotated behind an intricate metal frame. It was difficult to imagine the hunters gripping the delicate handle to kill a vampire, but Caroline reminded herself that Klaus had used this very weapon to dispatch his hybrids not too long ago.

Klaus looked over the symbols and tilted his lips, "Might I suggest using the magic of the internet to purchase an Aramaic-to-English dictionary from your nearest retailer?" Ugh, Caroline wanted to wipe the smirk right off his face.

"What's Aramaic?" Tyler questioned her. It seemed he was not interested in speaking to Klaus directly.

Thinking back to her study sessions for the SAT, it came to her. "It's a dead language, it hasn't been used since, like, biblical times." She looked to Klaus to confirm and saw a hint of pride in his eyes.

"Qetsiyah's native tongue, I'm guessing. You know, even if you had the best dictionary in the world, it could take days to translate, perhaps weeks. _In bas so-teen-too ara-ma-eet,_ " he mocked. "If only you knew Aramaic."

Caroline could _feel_ his smugness like it was radiating from him and she sent anger in return. "This is the _least_ you could do, you know," she spat at him, effectively wiping the sneer off his lips. She briefly closed her eyes to focus on the pain and fear she felt last night on the couch waiting for death at his hands and tried to send it across the bond. Was that guilt in his eyes? Good. She pointedly looked at the images on the table and raised her eyebrows.

Looking at the cryptex on the sword he translated, " _Requires a powerful witch and a hunter in full bloom_."

Tyler leaned forward to narrow his eyes at Klaus, "What are you doing?"

"I don't need to tell you my reasons," Klaus replied without taking his eyes off his mate. "Caroline, bring my sword over here."

She was careful not to cross the barrier again with Tyler present. " _Silas rests on the far side, the means of his destruction at hand._ Turn the cryptex to the right, stop. The top of the hilt reveals a key to a nautical map, turn it to the left." Caroline obliged. "Now the other piece; there's something else. Call the doppelganger."

Caroline looked at him with narrowed eyes and tried to detect his emotions. He stared back innocently and lifted an eyebrow in question before she huffed and turned to make the call. Both Elena and Stefan didn't answer so she scrolled to Rebekah's number – being on dance committees together was finally coming in handy.

"Rebekah, it's Caroline. We have the translation of the tattoo and we're emailing you pictures of the map and instructions right now."

"Got it, thanks," Rebekah replied.

"Actually, it was me," Klaus cut in from across the room. "There's something else, sister," he spoke as fast as he could, "There is only dose of the cure, you need to find it first and take it. It's the only way you'll…"

Caroline scrambled to end the call, but it was too late, Rebekah heard him and now her friends were in danger – again. Rebekah would stop at nothing to get her way and Caroline wouldn't put it past her to kill everyone else on the island in her quest to be human. She felt rage boil in her veins and clenched her fists on her lap. Grabbing the nearest thing – a small wooden sculpture – she threw it with all her strength at Klaus' head. "What the hell was that?! Are you that afraid of the cure being used against you that you would pit your sister against her only allies on that island? You'd rather she become mortal and weak than you? That's all this is, isn't it? Just another game where we're all one step behind the great and powerful hybrid. You make me sick," she seethes. Turning her back on him, she followed Tyler out the door.

* * *

Tyler paced across the porch anxiously. "Every time I think I have him, that son of a bitch gets the upper hand! If Rebekah gets to the cure first, Klaus will kill me." He was working up to hysteria, "I need to get out of town, figure out how I'm going to stay alive! He's got nothing to lose – his brother and hybrids are dead – all he wants now is blood, starting with mine."

Caroline captured Tyler's face in her hands and forced him to look at her. "Let me talk to him. I'm not going to lose you again; do you hear me? I can fix this. Go home, Tyler." She kissed him gently on the cheek and watched him flash away. Not feeling ready to face Klaus yet, she sat on the porch swing to think. She loved Tyler, truly, but even she could see that it probably wouldn't last forever. She didn't feel the same level of attraction for him that she did before exchanging blood with Klaus. A mix of sadness and shame well up and she can't stop the tears from falling down her cheeks. Tyler loved her, and she couldn't love him back – even if she somehow could, what would she do about Klaus?

* * *

Nearly two hours later Caroline pulled herself off the swing. It had been quiet, and she appreciated Klaus giving her time to mourn and think without shouting through the walls. Squaring her shoulders and taking a deep breath, she walked through the door to stand in front of him. "You can't kill Tyler."

Shadows covered half his face, but she could feel a flicker of annoyance emanating from him. "Not only can I, I have to; I have a reputation to uphold. Moreover, I want to," he smirked as he stood.

She crossed the barrier to stand in front of him; she couldn't back down on this. "That wasn't a request, Klaus. You said we're bonded, that you're my mate, and that you would _never_ hurt me again. Now it's your turn to listen to me - _killing my friends_ _hurts me._ "

He pursed his lips, considering her argument, but couldn't say anything before she began again.

"You want me to get to know you? Show me. Show me the Klaus Mikaelson with humanity, the charming Klaus Mikaelson that fancies me because I can't even _think_ about being friends with – let alone being in an actual relationship with – someone who hurts other people out of boredom and anger!" She paused to let her arms fall to her sides and looked at him. Hope bubbled in her chest and she shoved it across the bond with all her might.

A pained look crossed his face, but he quickly recomposed himself. "Perhaps another bargain, love?"

"No," Caroline is adamant about this, "I'm not bargaining with you about his life, Klaus. I've told you what I want and where I stand; you can feel how important he is to me. Please."

Turning away from her, Klaus paced angrily across the small enclosure. She could practically see the gears turning in his head as he tried to maneuver the situation to get what he wanted. Taking a seat on the couch, Caroline waited.

"So, he gets to live a happy life after he turned all of my hybrids against me? After he made it his life's mission to find the cure and use it against me?" he practically spat as he continued to pace. Pausing, he clutched the edges of an end table hard enough to splinter the wood then swiped the contents of the surface angrily, so it scattered on the floor. Panting, he looked up at her with yellow eyes and flickering veins.

Caroline could feel how out of control he was but made no effort to soothe him. Crossing her legs, she leaned against the back of the couch without looking away and feigned nonchalance. Klaus turned his back to her and she could hear him take a couple deep breaths before moving to sit across from her.

"He will leave Mystic Falls immediately and never return. Tell him to hide in a place I will never find him," she nodded, "for this is a mercy I extend only once - for your sake."

Caroline eagerly got up to find Tyler, but Klaus stopped her with a hand on her jacket, "Don't think it will always be this easy, love. I do not appreciate my emotions being toyed with and it will not happen again."

Shrugging him off, she walked to the door before turning back slightly, "Thank you."

* * *

"Tyler?" her voice wobbled a little as she called for him in the entryway of the Lockwood home. There was so much she needed to say, and he wouldn't like most of it.

"Upstairs," he shouted down.

Making her way to his bedroom she found him frantically packing a bag with clothes and a couple photographs of him and his parents. "You have to leave town, Ty. I did my best, but I'm so sorry," she sobbed, as he pulled her to his chest.

"Shh, this isn't your fault. We'll run; we'll run together and make a new life where he'll never find us." He stroked her hair as he murmured sweet promises.

She gently pulled away from him to sit on the edge of the bed and looked up, "Tyler, I can't go with you. He'll never stop hunting us if we leave together," she paused to take a faltering breath, "I need you to promise me you'll be happy – that you'll fall in love with someone else and make a life together. Don't let revenge define you, Ty - it will make you like him."

Tyler sat next to her and placed his hand on her knee, "I promise. I promise to forget you and find a new life where I'm happy."

She noticed that he said nothing about forgetting his plans for revenge, but she decided not to push it. Instead, she laid her head against his shoulder for a moment before mumbling, "You should go. Bonnie's spell won't last forever, and you'll probably want a head start." A tear slid down her cheek to land on his shoulder before he stood up to walk away. Caroline sobbed for a moment before feeling a sense of guilt from Klaus that she pushed away until she was once again, alone.

* * *

A/N: thanks so much for reading! Reviews make my day and keep the keyboard alive :)


	4. Chapter 4

Blood Bond

Chapter 4

Caroline rolled over in her bed and nudged something firm. Reaching out her hand to push it away, she tried to slip back to sleep when she realized that firm thing in her way was a person. She bolted upright and clutched the comforter to her chest despite wearing her most comfortable – and least alluring – pair of flannel pajamas.

"Klaus!" she shrieked, "How the hell are you in my room? Get out!" she shoved his shoulder, but it only made his smile grow wider.

"Well love, I've been invited in; I thought I'd drop by and check on you." He glanced at her grip on the bedding and raised an eyebrow. With a slight shake of his head, he adjusted his position so that he was leaning against the headboard with his hands folded across his stomach.

"I'm fine. And I feel pretty sure that you already knew that since you'd probably feel me freaking out across the bond if I wasn't." Despite her bitchy tone, Caroline moved a pillow to lean back as well. She subtly glanced at the hybrid next to her, but he had his eyes closed and looked oddly relaxed. Trying to mimic him, she let out a breath and thought about what she should work on that day. Call Tyler to check on him, call Elena to see how the hunt for the cure was going, talk to her Mom, pick a song for the new cheer routine, text the prom committee about booking the caterers, finish her calculus homework, ugh. The real problem with being a supernatural in Mystic Falls is how far she was falling behind in her "normal" life.

After three minutes of making mental lists and categories, Caroline was feeling antsy and started drumming her fingers on her leg. Finally, she couldn't take it anymore. "Is this what normal mates do? Sit together in awkward silence?"

Klaus opened one eye to look at her. "We can do whatever you'd like, love. Although perhaps this could be our new thing, hm?"

She rolled her eyes at the ceiling to hide her smile at his comment. "Ok, let's play a game then. Truth or dare?" She quickly reconsidered and corrected, "Nope, scratch that, just truth. Why do you think we're mates?"

This time he opened both eyes and seemed to think before answering, "My best guess is that the universe – or the spirits I suppose – think that we will be good for each other. I've never met another quite like you, you know. Strong, intelligent, beautiful, and fearless. Most mated wolves feel the connection upon their first transition with their mate present, which is part of the reason wolves tend to shift in packs. I believe our bond was sealed when we exchanged blood at the Gilbert house and I turned."

Slowly, she shook her head, "I've had your blood before, Klaus. You healed me on my birthday in this room." Did he forget that? It was a secretly treasured memory for Caroline; It was the first time anyone had made her feel like being a vampire wasn't the worst thing that could've happened to her.

Klaus glanced at her face and smirked, "I am aware of that, love. If you recall, it was the young Lockwood that bit you that night – I hadn't had your blood until much more recently."

His explanation made sense, but she still wasn't sure what might be different about their bond since they were both vampires. She could probably ask a witch – Bonnie would be home soon. Whoa, nope. Absolutely not, there was no way she was ready to share something so mortifying with her friends. She could already imagine how it would go, _I'm so glad you're back from the island! I also had an eventful weekend and now Klaus is my mate. I guess it's like a soulmate, except he's a murderer and everyone hates him._ Yep, perfect. That plan was out.

"I believe it's my turn to ask you a question in this game, correct?" His voice startled her out of her thoughts and she quickly nodded. "Are you upset that you're my mate?"

She flicked her eyes to him but immediately looked elsewhere; she didn't want eye contact for this conversation. "I was, but I'm working on it. It helps that I can feel how difficult this is for you as well but, honestly I think I just need time to adjust." She paused to consider how much she wanted to divulge and thought, _What the hell, we're mates._ "I won't deny that there is a certain…attraction…between us, but I need you to try Klaus. I can't do this if you go around killing people because it's fun or because you lose your temper."

At that, he sat up to look at her fully. "I won't change who I am Caroline, not even for you, but I will…make an effort."

Honestly, she expected a bit more resistance from him, so she'd count that as a win. "My turn. Why are you afraid of being human?"

She noticed the muscles in his jaw working and settled more comfortable against the headboard to wait. "I haven't been mortal in over a thousand years Caroline, it would be monumentally difficult to be reduced to such a weak state. Beyond not knowing how to be human, I have made countless enemies over my many lifetimes and would prefer to remain a powerful immortal hybrid capable of dealing with them." He tiredly wiped his hand across his eyes, "I think that's enough of our game for one morning, love. Can I offer you breakfast?"

"I should check on Tyler," she winced when she saw his eyes harden.

"Very well, wish the pup luck in hiding" he sneered as he turned to stand.

Caroline grabbed his arm and felt a jolt in her stomach – it was the first time they'd had skin-to-skin contact since sharing blood. "I can't just forget about him, it's been less than 24 hours. Honestly, what did you expect?" Based on his speedy exit, forgetting was exactly what he had expected. Perfect.

* * *

Since no one was answering their phones, Caroline drove to the Salvatore boarding house hoping to get some information; obviously something had happened since Klaus was free. She walked through the front door without knocking and called, "Hello? Anyone home?" There wasn't really a need to shout since everyone that might answer was a vampire and could hear her just fine.

There was no response, but she could hear a hushed conversation coming from the living room and made her way through the house. Elena was seated in an armchair, filing her nails, while Stefan and Damon huddled close on a sofa – clearly discussing Elena. A little irritated that no one welcomed her, Caroline used her queen bee cheerleader voice, "Hello, didn't you hear me?"

Elena barely glanced at her, "Obviously, but there's nothing we need you for so why would any of us answer?"

Ok, rude much? Caroline crossed her arms, prepared to ramp up her bitchy attitude, when Stefan interrupted.

"She flipped her humanity switch, don't take it personal." He looked worried about Elena and kept glancing her way as if she would suddenly dart away.

"Why the hell would she do that? Did she not get the cure?" none of this made sense, Elena was supposed to take the cure and be a happy human again – she clearly wasn't cut out for life as a vampire.

Stefan sighed and ran his hand through his hair in frustration, "No, we didn't get the cure; Katherine was on the island and got there first. She killed Jeremy," he glanced at Elena again, but she showed no reaction to hearing Jeremy's name. "Elena was not…coping well…so Damon used the sire bond to help her."

"By turning her _humanity_ off?! How was that supposed to help anyone, Damon?!" God! Sometimes he could be so _stupid_! "Well, use the bond again and get her to turn it back on!"

Suddenly Caroline was shoved against the wall with a hand around her throat and a stake poised over her chest – Elena. Her friend narrowed her eyes, "I will not be flipping the switch again, Caroline. Right now, I feel nothing and it's a hell of a lot better than the grief I felt over my dead brother, so I'll be staying this way. If you try to makeme flip it back, I'll kill you." Elena released her and sauntered back to her armchair while Caroline rubbed the sore spot on her throat.

"Stefan, can I talk to you outside?" hopefully she'd be able to talk some sense into him and they could make a plan to get Elena back. She walked out the front door and flashed into the woods with Stefan behind her. "How could you let this happen? It will _crush_ her when she turns it back on and feels everything, what if she can't handle it?"

He kicked a rock across the forest floor and sheepishly looked up, "What was I supposed to do? Snap her neck? She burnt her house down with Jeremy's body in it, Caroline. I think we just need to keep her safe and under control until she's ready to turn it back on."

She paced back and forth with her fingers pressed against her lips, thinking. Elena could be dangerous without her emotions – there was nothing that would hold her back from feeding on humans and killing them. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad though; she might just need a couple days with no emotions and then she'd snap out of it and grieve. Who was she kidding? When Stefan had no humanity, it took ages before he rehabilitated and that was with Lexi's help. If only they could compel her…no. She wouldn't do that to her friend. She knew _exactly_ how it felt to have your free will taken away and there was no way she'd force that on Elena. Even if she was willing, she'd still have to convince Klaus to help her and that probably wouldn't be easy.

"Stefan, you're my best friend; you helped me survive the transition to becoming a vampire and you've always been there for me. I need to talk to somebody, but I need you to promise to keep it a secret and not judge me, OK?" He nodded. She continued pacing while she thought about what she could say to him to make him understand that the bond wasn't something she'd wanted, but she couldn't break it.

"I'mKlaus'mate" she rushed out as quickly as she could.

"Did I hear you correctly? Did you just say that you're Klaus' mate?" he looked confused, and who could blame him?

She nodded, blinking to keep her tears from falling. God, what if he hated her? Stefan stared at the ground, shaking his head slowly before saying, "What does that mean, Caroline? Is this like a sire bond?"

"What, no! No, no, no I'm not sired to Klaus, I'm mated to him." Her explanation didn't seem to clear anything up for him. Fair, even she wasn't exactly sure what it meant to be mates. "Apparently, werewolves have mates and I'm his. I need you to know, I didn't choose this, but I can't break it. I read about it and if I break it, I might never be able to love anyone else and I'd rather have a chance at love with someone like Klaus than no chance at all." Talking this out was actually helpful and she realized what she just said was true.

"So, what does this mean for us Care? Are you suddenly on Team Original Hybrid? I can't let Elena take the cure knowing that she'll go right back to being a walking blood bag." He sounded frustrated and angry.

"What the hell are you saying, Blondie?" Shit. She hadn't heard Damon come into the clearing, but he had clearly heard them. He stalked closer to them and his gaze pierced her. "So now you're siding with Klaus? I don't think so." He flashed forward and slammed her to the ground holding her neck.

Caroline struggled to breath and tried to shove Damon off of her. Stefan pulled at Damon's shoulder, but Damon easily flung him across the clearing. Black spots were dancing in front of her eyes when she felt his weight ripped off and looked up to find Klaus standing over her protectively.

"I wouldn't do that, mate," Klaus snarled. Caroline scrambled to her feet and moved to stand between Klaus and Damon holding up her hands in an attempt to make peace.

"What the hell, Damon? Eavesdropping, really?" She tried to play it off but clearly didn't succeed when Damon snarled at her with his fangs out. She took a small step closer to Klaus and that seemed to push Damon over the edge as he lunged at her.

In a blink Klaus had his hand in Damon's chest, presumably wrapped around his heart poised to pull. "Perhaps I didn't make myself clear earlier – you will not harm Caroline," he growled. Klaus' eyes were yellow and both sets of fangs were showing, terrifying, but also weirdly hot in that moment. He glanced at her and smirked. _Damn bond_ , she thought.

"Klaus let him go! Elena loves him." Well, probably not at that exact moment since she was an emotionless bitch currently, but in general her statement was true. She rested her hand on his shoulder and sent calm feelings across the bond. "I'm fine, not hurt or anything; let's go." If she couldn't get him out of there soon there would be no stopping him from killing Damon. She pulled gently on his shoulder and he ripped his hand out of Damon's chest with a sickening squelch.

Wiping the blood off on Damon's shirt, Klaus gave a slight shove and he stumbled backward. "I will not hesitate a second time," he warned before turning to walk out of the woods.

Caroline glanced at Stefan and mumbled, "I'll call you later," before flashing after Klaus.

* * *

A/N: Thanks for reading, reviews are appreciated :)


	5. Chapter 5

Blood Bond

Chapter 5

Caroline slammed the door to the Mikaelson mansion behind her. She was furious that Damon had overheard her talking about Klaus, nervous that he would share his new information with everyone else, and frustrated that Klaus had sped off alone – leaving her to chase behind. Jerk. "Klaus!" she heard him scoff and followed the noise further into the house. "You just left! You couldn't wait 7 seconds?"

"I didn't realize you would want to be seen leaving with me love, my apologies." He said with a sneer.

Ok, to be fair, Caroline hadn't thought about that and he was sort of right, but also, Stefan and Damon both already knew that she was his mate so leaving with him wouldn't have been that big of a deal. That didn't ease her frustration any though. "And what was that with Damon? Seriously? You were just going to rip his heart out? You can't _do_ that, he's Elena's boyfriend!"

Klaus rolled his eyes to the ceiling and walked over to pour them both drinks. "It matters little to me who the doppelganger is currently in love with and he was harming you, I couldn't just stand by Caroline. I _felt_ your fear. You don't know what that was like, to suddenly have fear twist in your gut for no apparent reason – so I came for you."

He said it all so matter of fact, like, _of course_ he came for her; It made Caroline feel slightly chagrined. "Fine, thank you for helping me, but in the future – don't threaten my friends!"

Klaus moved on without acknowledging her request, "Interestingly, I felt a flicker of pain earlier as well, but it was replaced by anger very quickly. Care to share what that was about, love?"

Damn. She didn't want to throw Elena under the bus; at this rate everyone who gave her the slightest side-eye would drop dead. "Don't freak out, but Elena flipped the switch. She threatened me when I tried to convince her to turn it back on."

He merely nodded like it was old news. "I believe it's my turn in our game of Truth, Caroline. Why were you less afraid of an emotionless Elena threatening you than you were of Damon in the woods with Stefan by your side?"

That was not something she cared to answer. "The game is over, Klaus, and I'm fine. We don't need to talk about this."

His eyes narrowed and he leaned forward from his position on the couch, "If I recall correctly, I answered two questions this morning in your bed and you answered one, so I will take my turn now love."

She blushed slightly at the bed comment, but God, how could she even explain that she was terrified Damon would actually kill her if provoked? It's not like he hadn't tried in the past. He'd straight up told her he'd kill her when she was a human blood bag/bed warmer and tried to stake her the night she transitioned. Admittedly, their relationship was more stable lately, especially since he was friends with her mom, but he would do anything to protect Elena – even if that meant killing her.

"Damon would do anything to protect Elena, including taking me out of the picture if he saw me as a threat." He began to rise from the sofa and she rolled her eyes, "Sit down, Klaus! Ugh, you can't just kill people that I don't get along with!"

"I'd say it's a bit more than 'not getting along with' him, Caroline. He had you pinned to the ground and would have killed you if I hadn't shown up!"

This was not going well. Caroline could feel his fury coursing across the bond and it was distracting her from trying to keep her friends safe from him. "I've decided not to try and break the bond." Distraction was _her_ forte and she'd like to keep it that way.

Klaus sat back in his seat and stared up at her. She moved from her position by the window to sit near him on the couch and rested her hands on her lap.

"What does that mean, Caroline?"

She briefly hesitated, "I don't want to be alone for the rest of my life either, Klaus, and I think a chance of loving you is better than not loving anyone for eternity."

They sat in silence for an uncomfortably long time before Caroline cracked. "I think we should have some ground rules: one - you can't kill my people; and I reserve the right to add whoever I want to that list."

Klaus nodded slightly, "Alright love, two, you will learn how to properly fight and defend yourself."

She rolled her eyes but recognized that it was probably a good idea. "Fine, three, no lies. I can't do this if I can't trust you," he raised his eyebrows slightly in shock, "I'm not saying I _do_ trust you, but…maybe someday."

"Fair enough, sweetheart, what next?" he was being surprisingly accommodating that morning, so she decided to take advantage while she could.

"We need alcohol, like, a lot of it," she announced as she sped to the wet bar. Coming back with two glasses and bottles of rum, bourbon, and vodka she began explaining Would You Rather. They would take turns asking questions, and when they answered the same, they'd take a shot.

"I'll start, would you rather live in Antarctica or Ecuador?" she asked.

He looked a little surprised at their new game, but thought before answering, "Ecuador. I don't fancy living in a place with a limited food supply."

She wrinkled her nose at his reasoning, but grudgingly admitted, "I would also choose Ecuador, but not because I'm worried about who I'd eat!" she shrugged as they each took their shot, "I like beaches. Your turn."

He pursed his lips for a moment, "Would you rather wake up early or stay up late?"

"Early, I'm a total early bird. I like to get things checked off my list first thing so I can have open afternoons; it's come in handy since literally everything that could go wrong has and we have to deal with it at night." She blushed a little at her rambling explanation but looked at him expectantly.

"Night-owl, love. Us villains tend to do our best plotting in the late hours," he smirked.

"Ok, um…would you rather volunteer at a homeless shelter or tutor underprivileged children?" she smiled to herself at the thought of him doing either activity.

He shot her an incredulous look and flopped back on the couch with a moan – interesting, she'd never pictured him 'flopping' before. "Tutor children," he grumbled.

"Me too!" They each downed another shot with only minor grimaces.

* * *

Nearly an hour later, they were both very drunk and had learned a little more about each other when Rebekah stormed in. "What the bloody hell is going on, Nik? I've been out there searching for the cure that Katerina made off with while you get tossed with the cheerleader?!"

"Excuse me, that's head cheerleader," Caroline slurred, then giggled at the stupefied look on Rebekah's face.

"Sister, glad to see you made it off the island. I take it things didn't go so well, then?" he seemed eager to goad Rebekah into an argument, so Caroline placed her hand on his forearm in a soothing manner.

Rebekah raised her eyebrows at the gesture, "Well, get on with it then. Get her out of your system quickly so we can track down the doppelganger and get the cure."

Klaus let out a low growl and leaned forward despite Caroline's grip on his arm. "Watch yourself, sister, you don't understand what you're talking about."

The original looked back and forth between her brother and Caroline a couple times, noting their casual touching and the alcohol on the coffee table. A look of understanding crossed her face and he raised an eyebrow at Klaus who nodded, "She's my mate."

Caroline let go of his arm as if she'd been burned, "So now we're just telling everyone?!" Ugh, she did not need Rebekah of all people holding this stupid mate bond over her head. She could already imagine her using it to weasel her way onto another committee Caroline was in charge of.

Klaus placed a hand on her knee to keep her seated on the couch. "It's not as if people aren't going to hear it from Damon, love. I'd prefer if the people who know of your importance to me was kept to a limited group though."

Caroline dropped her head against the back of the couch with a sigh and Rebekah took that as her cue to jump back in. "Nik, there isn't time for this right now. We need to track down the cure and hold a funeral for our brother and you're sitting here sloshed at one in the afternoon; you haven't forgotten about Kol, have you?" she sneered.

At that, Klaus' eyes flickered yellow. "Thank you for your concern, sister," he spat, "I do recall witnessing Kol's death. Call Elijah, we'll do it tonight." With that, Klaus exited the room.

Rebekah advanced on Caroline, stopping inches away from her face. "If you hurt my brother, I'll kill everyone you've ever loved," she threatened before leaving as well. Caroline heard the front door slam closed and leaned back against the couch again feeling suddenly sober. What had she gotten herself into?

* * *

Caroline leaned against the doorway of Klaus' studio watching him sort through canvases roughly. She wasn't really sure what to do in this situation; Klaus and she weren't really in a relationship so there wasn't any sort of expectation that she comfort him, but she realized she wanted to. She could feel the pain of his loss seeping across the bond.

She took a step into the studio and tentatively asked, "Can you teach me?" He looked at her with a question in his eyes and she felt his confusion. "How to paint, I mean. I've never really done anything artsy, it's always been committees and planning for me, so I haven't learned how…" she trailed off when he nodded and took her hand, pulling her towards an easel.

He set her up with a blank canvas and put together an identical work station next to hers. "What would you like to paint, love?"

She could still feel his sadness and a new sense of unease through the bond. "I don't know, maybe a landscape or something?"

He gave a light laugh, "Landscape it is, I'll show you the steps on my canvas and you replicate them there on yours, alright?"

She nodded and quickly became engrossed in his teaching. Klaus was really an excellent painter and his explanations made it easy for her to follow along; in fact, her painting was resembling the forest on his. They took a break to let the canvases dry and she took the opportunity to question him.

"So where is this? I assume you've been to this forest?" It looked familiar somehow, but she couldn't pin it down in her head.

His lips quirked up in a smirk, "Indeed, love, as have you. This is the forest I grew up in a thousand years ago in what is now Mystic Falls. My siblings and I used to chase each other through the trees and splash in the river on warm summer days."

Caroline was amazed at how open he looked in that moment, not to mention how much he was sharing with her. She smiled encouragingly at him.

"In the mornings, we would do our chores; Rebekah would cook and gather herbs with our mother while my brothers and I repaired leaks and such in our home and fished." There was a faraway look in his eye when he described such simple family times. Shaking it off, he continued painting, "If you feather your brush across the edges of the trees, you'll have a lighter, less defined branch like this."

Another hour later and the paintings were finished – they were incredible. "I've never done anything like this before, thank you!" Inspiration struck her, and she turned to him with a glint in her eye, "Take a picture with me!" She pulled her phone out and scooted closer to Klaus with the paintings in the background. He wasn't smiling, but he wasn't scowling either – she'd probably call his expression bemused if she had to classify it. The photo made Caroline smile - they were actually pretty cute together.

"This is perfect, hang on I'll send it to you." As she was typing on her phone, she felt a growing ball of nerves in her stomach that wasn't her own. She looked over at Klaus who had his lips pressed together, "Is everything ok?"

He clasped his hands behind his back and straightened his shoulders. "I need to prepare for the funeral."

Right. She had forgotten that they were going to bury Kol that night. What was the protocol for something like this? "I know it's probably a family thing, but I can come if you want me to…" she felt incredibly uncomfortable. He was the Original Hybrid, he didn't need someone to hold his hand at a funeral.

"I would…appreciate that, love." He looked surprised that she had offered.

She tentatively squeezed his forearm and smiled, "Alright, I'll go home and change and meet you back here in a couple hours." Walking out of the mansion, she couldn't help but think that maybe all Klaus needed was someone on his side.

* * *

Caroline walked next to Klaus through the forest to meet Rebekah and Elijah. His sister had apparently returned to the mansion earlier to pick up Kol's body for the funeral. She felt incredibly nervous about intruding on a private family matter and Klaus must have felt it through the bond since he glanced over reassuringly.

They were the last to arrive and Caroline was slightly surprised at what she saw. Kol's body was wrapped in a creamy fabric and he was laid atop a pyre surrounded by flowers and greenery. They moved to stand quietly near Klaus' siblings and Elijah cleared his throat to begin.

"Though we have had many lifetimes together, we were parted too soon brother." He spoke reverently and moved to place a box on Kol's stomach. "Your love of witches and magic was unparalleled; to Valhalla."

Caroline glanced at Klaus, but he was focused on Kol and Elijah. Rebekah stepped forward next to lay a small basket of apples next to Kol's shoulder. "I'll always remember our time playing in the orchards as children; you used to climb the trees and throw apples at my legs," she choked up a little bit and blinked to clear her tears. "To Valhalla," she quietly finished.

There was silence for a moment before Klaus stepped forward. "You always were a trickster, Kol, but there's no one else I would rather have by our side in the fight for the cure." He laid a sword next to Kol's arm, "To Valhalla," he murmured reverently.

Elijah moved forward with a torch and touched it to the base of the pyre, lighting the structure quickly. He returned to his siblings and placed his arm around a crying Rebekah's shoulders.

Caroline could feel Klaus' anguish through the bond and chanced a quick look at him to see a tear slipping down his face. She shuffled closer and slid her hand gently into his and squeezed; he looked shocked but squeezed her hand in return and did not let go until they were back at Mikaelson Manor.

After pouring drinks for everyone present, Elijah turned to his brother. "What next, Niklaus? I assume you have a plan?"

Klaus finished his drink quickly turned to face them with yellow eyes, "Now, we get the cure."


	6. Chapter 6

Blood Bond Chapter 6

"Elijah, you will contact Katerina. Do whatever is necessary to retrieve the cure," Klaus ordered from his stance near the fireplace.

The eldest brother nodded his head slightly and made his way to the door. Apparently the Originals moved fast. Rebekah watched Elijah walk away with a hopeful look.

"Sister, you will follow Elijah. We both know he has a soft spot for the doppelganger and that can't be tolerated if we are to control the cure."

She looked up at him and frowned, "Nik, I don't want control of the cure, I want to take it. You can't force me to remain a vampire if I don't wish to!" Spots of color rose on her cheeks and she leaned forward to conver her point.

Klaus walked closer and rested his hand on her cheek. "Dearest sister, I can and I will. Now, you'd best ensure that Elijah doesn't get taken in by Miss Petrova again if you'd like any chance at taking it someday." With that, he turned his back to her and waited until she stomped out of the house before moving to sit near Caroline.

Caroline huffed, "She's grieving, Klaus. You all are and I think you could cut her a little slack instead of jumping down her throat about the cure."

He didn't look at her throughout her mini-speech, "It's late, love. Let's pick this up in the morning with your first lesson in combat. Eight thirty AM, sharp."

Did he seriously just dismiss her? Yep. She got to her feet and slammed the door on her way out before flashing home.

* * *

Caroline's alarm went off at 6:25 as usual and she rolled out of bed to finish her physics homework. There was a test coming up in a week and she still didn't understand pieces of the theory of relativity. No surprise since she'd missed a couple days of school last week fighting off the bad guys – aka her mate, Klaus freaking Mikaelson who thought it was fine to dismiss her as if she were his employee. Ugh. There was no way she would be punctual for combat lessons this morning. In fact, she might just skip them all together.

Having finished her homework and with a much better grasp on physics, she moved downstairs to grab a bag of blood and snuggle into her favorite armchair with a book. Halfway through _The Color Purple_ , she heard a car pull to a stop outside her house and recognized Klaus stomping to her front door. She leisurely took another sip of her blood bag and turned the page.

"Pardon me for interrupting, love, I didn't realize that you were incapable of using a watch," he sneered. He settled himself on the couch and rested his hands across his stomach.

Caroline turned another page and read a couple more paragraphs before placing her bookmark. "Well, _mate_ , I didn't realize that being bonded to you entailed you barking orders at me. Let's get one thing straight here – I'm not your hybrid or your sister and I won't be pushed around by you for the rest of my life. We can be _equal_ partners or nothing, but I won't live in another abusive relationship." Oops, she didn't really mean to let that last part slip, but she did mean it.

Klaus raised his eyebrows then ran a hand over his face. "I apologize, love. Now please change, we don't have much time today and your training is important."

Caroline huffed, but moved upstairs to slip into yoga pants and a hoodie. Her hair was now on day three of not showering and she tucked the dirty strands into a messy bun. "Is your water full of vervain?" she asked Klaus. When he answered no, she quickly packed a bag of shower supplies and a fresh change of clothes before heading back downstairs to tap her foot impatiently at the door.

Klaus smirked at her tapping and sped her off to his mansion.

* * *

 _Thud._ She landed on her back again and slowly rolled to her knees before getting up. "Seriously? Is it really necessary to throw me on the ground every time?" You'd think that he'd be a little more gentle, but no.

"You wouldn't be on the ground every time if you applied the lessons I taught you this morning," he teased.

She rubbed her shoulder and stretched a little bit before falling back into her ready position. _Lesson one – don't underestimate your opponent_. No danger here, she was well aware that Klaus could kick her ass if he wanted to. _Two – distract your opponent and take advantage of any weakness._ As far as she could tell, Klaus didn't have any weakness – she'd just have to mentally prepare for another fall to the ground.

She stepped forward with a right uppercut that Klaus blocked and tried for a jab from the left. Blocked. Stepping back, she thought about a new approach. She dropped her arms and casually circled him so that he had to turn to maintain eye contact. Inching closer to him, she glanced down his body and back up – blatantly checking him out. His eyes flickered and she let out a breathy sigh then licked her lips before stepping closer to put her hand on his shoulder. He didn't block her, in fact, he placed a hand on her hip and pulled her closer. Staring into his eyes, she placed both arms around his neck and pulled him in for a kiss before slamming him to the ground and straddling his chest to pin his arms.

"Finally!" she cheered. She leaned down to kiss his cheek before standing, "I think I've got a real taste for this now." Winking over her shoulder, she turned to head back to the mansion with Klaus on her heels.

"Your underhanded tactics might work on me, love, but we're not finished training. You can't expect every opponent to be distracted by your charms." He moved to walk next to her and tucked her arm into his. "Now, shall we have breakfast?"

Caroline was shocked to see how at home Klaus was in his kitchen. She'd never imagined him cooking since he probably thought of it as peasant work. Besides, he had a houseful of staff if he really wanted anything. "So…what are we having?" she asked.

He glanced over at her and smiled shyly, "I was thinking a spinach feta frittata with coffee and fruit."

Dang. She probably would have just offered him a poptart. "What can I help with?" she asked. Her skills in the kitchen were fine, she just wasn't super creative about cooking. Most of the time she made something she followed a recipe meticulously.

Klaus handed her a cutting board and pulled some fruit out of the fridge. She sat at the counter to cut the stems off strawberries quietly until she couldn't stand it anymore. "What are you going to do with the cure when you find it?"

His shoulders tensed, but he turned to face her after sliding the skillet into the oven. "I don't know yet, love. I'm not too keen on letting Rebekah take it – she tends to make life-altering decisions on a whim and this one isn't something she could come back from. I don't particularly care to let Elena take it either. I've tried the hybrid thing and it didn't work out – I'm not too keen on making the same mistake again."

His honesty surprised her, but she appreciated it. "Even if Elena took the cure, that doesn't mean you would have to use her blood to make more hybrids, she could just live a normal human life."

He leaned on the counter across from her, "We both know the Salvatore brothers would never leave her alone. She would continue to be a magnet for danger with a less durable body. Not that I particularly care for the safety of the doppelganger, but I do relish in her unhappiness as a vampire."

Ugh. She rolled her eyes and moved to cut an apple. "Despite your horrible delight in her misery, you might have a point." His eyes lit up and she quickly shut that down, "I said _might_. Why does someone need to take the cure anyways? It's been sitting in that cave for thousands of years, you could probably just hide it again and move on with your life."

He looked thoughtful for a moment, then turned to take the frittata out of the oven. "Can you bring the coffee, love?" he asked over his shoulder.

She sat next to him at the table and poured coffee for both of them while he dished steaming frittata on each of their plates. It was a weirdly domestic scene. She popped a strawberry slice in her mouth before asking, "So then what's next? Elijah's looking for Katherine and Rebekah is stalking Elijah. What do we do?"

He reached over to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear and removed a leaf in the process, "First, we shower."

* * *

Finally being clean felt AMAZING. Caroline blow dried her hair and curled it into carefree waves in one of the guest suites before slipping into black skinny jeans and a creamy cable-knit sweater. She could still hear Klaus in the shower so she went out the backdoor to call Stefan. "Hi Stef, how's everything going?"

She could hear him let out a deep breath before answering, "Not great, Elena hasn't changed but Damon thinks we need to show her how to embrace her vampire side while she's open to it."

"What? Stefan. That's a TERRIBLE idea! So what, he thinks that teaching Elena to revel in her bloodlust while she has no emotions is going to help her somehow? God, how is he so stupid?" She rubbed her forehead between her eyebrows in frustration.

"It's not as crazy as it sounds. Basically, we need to get Elena to feel something – anything – before she'll turn it back on. For Damon, I think he felt some guilt about killing over the years and he thinks Elena could be the same."

"It's not the same Stefan! Elena feels everything so deeply and when she turns it back on, she will never forgive herself for killing people! If you want her to feel things, try talking about your relationships with her or visit her family in the cemetery." Stefan couldn't be onboard with Damon's plan, right?

There was silence for a moment. "You're right, Care, I know that. But we have to do _something_ and we've already tried the sappy love stories."

"Then lock her up in the cellar! We can starve her until she's too weak to fight back then _make_ her turn it back on." She felt a little guilty for suggesting they lock up one of her best friends, but what else could they do?

* * *

Caroline was on the couch flipping through one of the grimoires that mentioned wolf mates when Klaus found her.

"Studying up, love? I wasn't aware there was to be an exam." He sat down and looked at the pages over her shoulder. "Ah, yes. This one delves into the emotional bond."

She closed the book and turned to look at him. "I want to practice. Sometimes it's hard for me to tell if the emotions I'm feeling are real or if they're just overflow from whatever's going on in your head. So, pick an emotion and share it with me." She closed her eyes and tried to focus on how she was feeling when she noticed a hint of confidence pooling in her gut. Smiling, she opened her eyes and named it.

"Very good, love. Your turn." He mimicked her position and closed his eyes.

She wasn't sure what to send him and panicked a bit before settling on excitement. She pictured the day she won her first cheerleading competition and tried to push those feelings across to Klaus. Peeking up at his face, she laughed inside at his pinched expression. "Well? What do you think it is?"

"You're happy, but there's more. Maybe with some accomplishment mixed in?" She grinned and raised her hand for a high-five at which Klaus looked puzzled.

"Come on, don't leave me hangin'!" He didn't respond enthusiastically enough for her tastes so she gripped his wrist and forced a high-five in return. "I think I'm getting better at knowing what's me and what's you now, how am doing at sending emotions?" This was important to her, not because she needed to be able to tell Klaus she was annoyed without words, but because she excelled at things in general and this would be no exception.

Klaus seemed to understand that somehow and grinned at her before praising, "Very good, love. Now, shall we head off on our date?"

Huh? Had she missed something he said this morning? She did not have a date in her planner, in fact, her planner was full of studying and prom and cheer. "Oh, um, I didn't know you had anything planned, but I have a lot of homework to do tonight since there's school in the morning…" his face fell a little before she felt him recede emotionally. Sigh, she was horrible at this whole mate thing. "I could use some help from an Original Hybrid though."

* * *

Turned out, Klaus was an excellent tutor. She wasn't sure why she had expected anything less since he was around when most of what she was learning was invented. They had stopped at Caroline's house to grab her backpack and a couple books before heading to the Grille for a study session.

"Seriously? _David_ was carved out of a crappy block of marble that no one else wanted? So why did Michelangelo want it? Wasn't he a pretty great artist? Like, couldn't he just get better materials?" Caroline ended her stream of questions with a huff.

Klaus gave a small, half-smile before answering, "Well, love, the block wasn't 'crappy' as you so eloquently put it," she stuck her tongue out at him and he ignored it, "a previous artist had attempted to carve a sculpture out of the same block and had drilled a hole through it making it unusable. He saw something different than the other artists who looked at the ruined block and ended up creating one of the finest pieces of art in his time. It's said that he was so enraptured with his vision that he finished the statue in a mere year and a half."

Caroline looked at him in thought for a moment before flagging down a server, "Can we please get a large order of fries?"


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

"Bonnie! I'm so glad I caught you before class, this weekend has been crazy and I haven't seen you at all!" Caroline pulled Bonnie into a hug and squeezed as tight as her human body would allow. "So, how are you? I know things have been...difficult since the island." She wasn't sure how to bring up Jeremy's death without sending her friend into a grief spiral, but she did want to help if she could.

"Things are fine. My dad has been a little overbearing since coming back, I guess he didn't like me taking off without saying anything to him." Bonnie's lips pulled into a sneer and she rolled her eyes, "Not that he's around for me to tell anyways. Now he thinks he can control everything I do, and he's got me on house arrest."

That wasn't what Caroline had been hoping for in their discussion, but she could see that Bonnie was hurting and wasn't ready to talk about it. "No biggie, lets do girl's night at your place tonight, okay?" She waited for Bonnie's agreement before walking to history together.

* * *

This was going to be one of those days that school dragged on so Caroline was relieved when she felt her phone buzz in her pocket.

 _Lessons tonight, love?_

She wasn't particularly excited to be thrown on the ground again, but she was excited to spend more time with Klaus. Wait, when did that happen? This whole mate thing was confusing sometimes.

 _After cheer? Girl's night with Bonnie at 7 though_

That only left them a couple hours to work on her combat skills but Klaus would just have to deal. Not all of them could be thousand-year old vampires who didn't have to attend school or have jobs.

 _I'll pick you up at 4:30._

Perfect. Caroline looked up to the teacher saying her name and apologized for not paying attention, but managed to answer his question about art history - thank you, Klaus.

* * *

"Okay, now Monica and Brianna will cross in front of the pyramid with a front handspring step out, round off, back handspring, full then drop to one knee with spirit fingers...and hold. Great ladies!" Caroline looked over the formation she had designed and made a mental note to switch Kiki and Emma. "Alright, let's call it a day. Make sure to come tomorrow with the new steps down so we can do a run-through before the game this Friday!" Caroline packed up her water bottle and unplugged her phone from the sound system before pulling on a jacket.

Klaus was waiting for her outside and put her bag in the backseat before opening her door. "I trust practice went well, love?"

Caroline waited for him to walk around the front of the car at a human pace before answering. "I feel like the girls are really close to getting the new routine down, and we should be ready to do it at halftime on Friday night! I was super nervous about the song choice since it has a little bit of a slower beat than they're used to, but I think it's going okay. Oh! Also, there's a competition coming up and I'm hoping to have another routine ready for the girls to learn next week." Caroline took a deep breath and glanced over at Klaus, "Sorry, rambling."

"No worries, love. I quite enjoy these insights into your day." He made quick eye contact with her and gave a shy half-smile.

Caroline folded one leg underneath her on the seat so she could face him more fully. "So, what did you do all day? How are things going with the cure? Any leads?"

"Elijah is still working on tracking the doppelganger. It seems she holed up in a small town in Pennsylvania, but it won't be long until she slips up." f

"I mean, she literally hid from you for 500 years. Maybe you're underestimating her?" Caroline chewed her lower lip thoughtfully.

Klaus scoffed, "There were only 96 years in that time that I truly didn't know where to find the girl, but it's much more satisfying to get close and watch them run."

She rolled her eyes at his blatant disregard for Katherine's life. Not that she was best friends with her or anything, but who could blame her for not wanting to die in Klaus' sacrifice? They pulled into the driveway of the manor and Caroline reached into the backseat to grab her bag before getting out of the car.

"Not so fast, love, I have a surprise for you inside; it will only take a moment." He took her elbow and led her up the stairs to the second floor of the manor to a guest suite. It was painted a creamy white and had beautiful abstract paintings on two walls with a soft grey rug covering the floor. "This is what I worked on today, I thought you might like a space of your own with vervain free water."

Caroline looked around the room in silence - it was lovely. The design was something she would have picked for herself, even if it was presumptuous for Klaus to be giving her a room in his home. Then again, he was right about the whole water situation - she couldn't even do laundry at her place! "Did you do these?" she asked, walking over to one of the paintings. It reminded her a bit of a flower garden with its streaks of dusky rose and lavender, but there were also flecks of gold that drew her eye around the painting in a continuous circle.

Klaus nodded slightly and she felt a hint of nerves leak across the bond.

She walked back and took his hand with a gentle squeeze. "They're beautiful, thank you. But seriously? You made a room for me?"

"Caroline, I would give you every room in this gaudy mansion - as you so elegantly put it - but I am willing to wait until you're ready. However long it takes." He leaned in to plant a soft kiss on her cheek then stepped back to clap his hands together. "Now, we train."

* * *

Caroline wasn't as sore after her lesson as she was last time. Not that being sore was seriously painful, but it wasn't fun for the five minutes it lasted. She opened Klaus' fridge and grabbed a blood bag and an apple before settling at the counter. "So, you think I'll be ready to take on Damon anytime soon?"

Klaus looked at her sharply, "Has he threatened you, love?"

She rolled her eyes and gave a light laugh. "Not since you punched your hand into his chest. But I have to admit, I like the idea of being able to kick his ass next time he annoys me." Caroline finished her apple and stood from the counter. "I have to go meet Bonnie, but I'll see you later, yeah?"

Klaus took the empty blood bag from her and threw it in the garbage, "Indeed."

* * *

Caroline knocked briskly on Bonnie's door before letting herself in. "Hey, Bon!" she called before setting pizza, ice cream, and a selection of movies on the kitchen counter. She could hear Bonnie moving towards the stairs, so she pulled out plates and napkins while she waited.

"It's good to see you, Care. Things have been weird here - my dad just left for a meeting." Bonnie put the ice cream in the freezer and grabbed a couple slices of pizza before settling on the couch. "I think something's up, but he won't tell me anything."

"Ugh, that's so annoying. Have you heard anything from Elena or Stefan?" Caroline questioned as she joined Bonnie in the living room.

"No, I don't think Elena is paying attention to anything right now and Stefan is busy trying to control her and Damon."

If her conversation with Stefan the day before was anything to go by, Bonnie was right. "Well then, let's talk about something else. Ooh! Actually, I have a witchy question I want to ask." She was dying to know if Bonnie had ever heard of werewolf mating, but she wasn't sure how her friend would take the news about her mate. She twisted her napkin in her lap. "Do you know anything about...werewolf mates?"

Bonnie looked at her hopeful face and sighed. "Care, if you and Tyler were mates you'd know it by now. I don't even know if it's possible for a wolf to mate with a vampire, but he's a hybrid, so maybe. Why? Have you felt anything weird lately?"

Caroline snorted a little at that. "Weird doesn't even begin to cover it," she mumbled. "But no, I don't think I'm Tyler's mate...I'm Klaus'." She scrunched her eyes for a moment, so she wouldn't have to see the inevitable horror on Bonnie's face. Finally, she couldn't take the silence anymore. "Bonnie?"

Her best friend rubbed a hand over her face. "Caroline, what were you thinking? This is dangerous!"

"It's not like this is something I chose, Bonnie! We shared blood when he bit me in Elena's house and then my body felt like it was on fire. Then, Klaus transitioned, but it wasn't like when I've been with Tyler on full moons before. He was in complete control and I _touched_ him, Bon. Later, after he turned back, he touched my forearm and it felt like an electric shock." She took a deep breath and centered herself before continuing, "I guess what I'm hoping for is that you have some witchy knowledge that can make this easier."

"I could try breaking the bond but..."

Caroline shook her head violently. "No, I've read about what can happen to mates when their bond is broken. I'm with him, for better or for worse now."

Bonnie scoffed, "It'll probably be worse."

Caroline laughed in agreement. "I knew that the day I met him." Talking to Bonnie went better than she'd expected, but it didn't seem like there was any magical help coming her way, so she moved to get the ice cream and movies. "How about The Notebook?"

* * *

Caroline woke in a cold sweat in her childhood bedroom. She focused her hearing around the house but didn't hear anyone - her mom must have taken another night shift. Suddenly, she heard the front door open then Klaus was next to her.

"What the hell, Klaus? Were you lurking outside my house? How'd you get here so fast?" she tugged the blankets to her shoulders and glared up at him.

"I was not 'lurking', Caroline. I merely felt your distress minutes ago while working on a new painting and decided to check on you." He sat on the edge of the bed and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "Care to talk about it?"

She swatted his hand away from her face and slid further away from him on her bed. "It was just a nightmare, don't worry about it."

Not to be deterred, Klaus moved to the empty side of the bed and stretched out with a yawn. "If it was just a nightmare, you wouldn't have been petrified, love. Now, what was it about?"

He wanted to do this at two in the morning? All right. She got to her feet and began pacing while she gathered her thoughts. "You dagger your siblings."

He looked up at her with no change in expression, but didn't deny or try to justify it.

"Klaus. You've known them, hell, you've _loved_ them, for a thousand years. Who's to say you won't get angry and find a way to lock _me_ in a coffin?" This was actually a very real fear of hers. While she was sure that he couldn't use the daggers on her, she was also sure that he could find a way to keep her locked away if he ever got bored or upset with her.

Klaus sat up straighter in the bed and patted the open space next to him, which she ignored. With a sigh, Klaus answered, "I can't guarantee that I'll never be angry with you, love. It's happened in the past and it's certain to happen again, but I can promise you that I will _never_ lock you away." He ran a hand through his hair and watched her continued pacing.

"That's not enough, Klaus. I need you to promise that even when you're angry or hurt, you won't lash out and hurt me. I'm not saying we shouldn't ever fight. I mean, I think you're insane and I'm a teenager, so I'm sure there will be plenty to argue about. But when we fight, we have to fight towards a solution, not to hurt each other." She stopped pacing to look at him with hopeful eyes.

Klaus rose from the bed and cupped her face in his hands. "Caroline, I promise. I promise to fight for us and to never intentionally harm you."

She believed him. She might be incredibly stupid for it, but she believed him. Her hands rose to cover wrists and she rested her forehead against his. "Thank you," she breathed. That electric hum from his skin on hers was slowly driving her wild, and she couldn't take it anymore, so she stood up on her tiptoes to press her lips to his.

The reaction was instant. His hands moved to her waist to pull her body against his, and she wrapped her arms tightly around his neck. His lips felt amazing on hers and when she felt his light nibble, she opened her mouth for him to enter. Their tongues danced together, and she scratched her nails across his scalp before he pulled back.

"Caroline, love, are you sure? We can stop at any time, just say the word." He looked into her face earnestly, searching for a response.

His reassurances were perfect, but right then, all she wanted was him. She nodded, licked her lips, and tackled him to the bed.


	8. Chapter 8

Caroline's alarm went off and her arm shot out to silence it. Klaus was sleeping next to her with his arm around her waist and she didn't want to disturb him, also, she was incredibly comfortable. She decided she could forgo the trip to his house for a shower and use the extra time with him. Rolling over to face him, she snuggled her body close to his and intertwined their legs then planted soft kisses on his shoulder. Klaus' arm tightened around her waist but otherwise showed no signs of waking up. Fair enough – it was probably too early to get any of his villainous chores checked off the list anyway.

Caroline had never seen Klaus look so peaceful. Totally cliché, but true. Even when they'd been having fun at the Grille or when they were playing drinking games, he had a constant pinch to his forehead. She gently reached up to run her fingers across his lips and he kissed them automatically. This Klaus was completely different than the evil hybrid she had known before; he was even different from when she first found out about the bond. She liked this Klaus more. Placing a last kiss on his forearm, Caroline shifted to get out of bed and change for school. He let out a soft groan when she pulled away from him, apparently, he wasn't a morning person.

Running her fingers through her hair to work the dry shampoo in, Caroline considered what she'd done last night. She'd had sex with Klaus. The Original Hybrid. Her mate. More importantly, she'd loved it. That 1,000 years of experience was certainly coming in handy, even if she didn't want to think too hard about all the practice. Shaking off her brief mood, Caroline grabbed a textbook from her dresser and headed to the kitchen where she found her mom with a cup of coffee.

"Morning, Mom, I didn't think you'd be home this early. How was work?" Caroline reached into the cupboard for her favorite mug and filled it with vanilla creamer and coffee before joining her mom at the small table.

"Work was fine," Liz took a sip of coffee and watched her daughter over the rim of her mug. "So, who's upstairs?"

Caroline's eyes widened and she could feel a blush working its way up her neck. How did her mom know? "Um…actually it's Klaus. Klaus Mikaelson." Best to just get it over with right?

Liz froze with her mug halfway to her mouth before setting it back on the table. "Caroline. What are you thinking? Klaus Mikaelson is dangerous! Are you still on vervaine? Was this some insane plan cooked up by Damon?" she honestly couldn't understand why her daughter would stoop to sleeping with a monster like Klaus.

Caroline rubbed her hands across her face before remembering that she'd put on mascara. Great. "It's not like that, Mom. Nobody is making me do anything, Klaus and I are…together. I'm his mate, it's a wolf thing I guess and it means the Spirits chose us to be together or whatever. It all just happened so fast and one second I was in Elena's living room dying, the next Klaus was a wolf on the floor and I was petting him! Then we've been spending some time together, actually I shouted at him. But he was being a jerk so it's totally justified I think." She paused to take a much needed breath while trying to gauge her mother's reaction.

Liz dropped her head into her hands and moaned. "Of course. Of course you're Klaus Mikaelson's mate. Nothing in this damn town makes any sense so of course my daughter is magically destined to be with the most evil monster I've ever met." She shook her head a couple more times in her hands then looked up at Caroline. "Can you break it? The bond or whatever this is?"

Caroline paused to listen upstairs. She could still hear Klaus' even breathing so hopefully he was still asleep – he didn't need to know that her mom hated him already. "No. We aren't going to break the bond, it's too risky, and besides that, I don't know if I want to, Mom. As crazy as it sounds, Klaus and I might actually be good together." Carline gave a half shrug and finished her coffee before taking both mugs to the sink. "You're not working tonight, right? Why don't we have dinner? The three of us, together. You can get to know him a little bit, he can officially meet you and it will be good."

Liz's face looked a little pinched, but nevertheless, she nodded. "Great! I'll talk to Klaus and call you later with more details. I have to get to school, ok? Love you!"

She flashed up the stairs to wake Klaus up before her mother decided to get nosy and peek in. "Klaus," she shook his shoulder gently and his eyes opened. "Klaus, I have to go to school, but my mom is home so…" Klaus stretched his arms lazily and tried to pull her down next to him. "No, what I'm saying is it's time to get up and be somewhere else. I told my mom you were up here and she didn't seem super thrilled by it, but we're having dinner tonight to smooth all that out!" she gave him a sunny smile as she pushed him towards the door.

"You're not embarrassed of me, are you love?" Klaus asked it in a cheeky tone but she could feel his disappointment through the bond.

She put her hand on his shoulder to stop him from opening her door and turned him towards her. "Klaus, no. I'm not embarrassed by you. I'm a little embarrassed that I had to talk to my mom about who I'm sleeping with, but it has nothing to do with you." She gave him a peck on the lips before opening the bedroom door and pushing him through and down the stairs. "Now, I have to go to school, and you have to do something important, I'm sure."

Just before she reached her car Klaus grabbed her hand and rubbed circles with his thumb. "Caroline, love, thank you." He leaned in to kiss her cheek then tucked her into her car before turning to speed off to his home.

* * *

Caroline walked briskly down the hallway toward Bonnie's locker, her conversations with her mom and Klaus had made her later than normal. She rounded the corner and spotted Bonnie pulling out her physics book and Elena casually leaning against the wall next to her.

"Elena, I didn't know you were coming to school today. How are you doing?" Caroline reached for her friend to give her a hug, but Elena raised her eyebrows and subtly shifted away.

"Stefan and Damon think I should get back into my regular routine. You know, pretend my brother isn't dead and that I still have emotions and all that." Elena shrugged her shoulders and went back to staring at the blank wall opposite her.

Caroline shared a look with Bonnie who shrugged, this was going to be a long day. "So, Bon, how're things with your dad? Did you find out where he went last night?"

Bonnie shook her head. "No, he didn't talk much after he got home, and I left before he got up this morning. Hopefully it's just some boring town business and nothing that will throw off our plans for prom this weekend though."

Shit. Was that seriously this weekend? She supposed it made sense since she was practicing that new cheer routine for the game on Friday, but she had just been so caught up in all the Klaus drama. "I completely forgot that was this weekend! Oh my god. I have a MILLION things to do! And I'm having dinner with my mom and Klaus tonight, ugh, this couldn't have come at a worse time!" Caroline snatched her cellphone out of her pocket and started making a checklist in her notes app while walking to class with her friends.

"So," Elena sped up slightly to walk next to Caroline, "dinner with the parents, huh? That's big of you to introduce your murderous mate to your mommy. Aren't you worried he'll eat her as the main course? Or even better, maybe Liz will surprise us all and find a way to put him down permanently." Elena smirked as she brushed past Caroline into the classroom.

Caroline grit her teeth and dug her nails into her palms to stop herself from slamming Elena into the wall. Emotionless Elena really sucked. Sitting down at her desk in physics, Caroline slipped her phone into her backpack before pulling out a pencil and her calculator for the exam she'd been studying for – fingers crossed.

* * *

"Klaus, you home?" Caroline shouted up the stairs in the foyer of his mansion. She'd let the girls go from cheer practice a little bit early so she'd have time to deal with the inevitable hybrid meltdown once he realized she was serious about dinner with her mom that night. When he didn't answer, she decided to follow the soft sound of classical music floating down from upstairs.

Caroline was a bit surprised to find Klaus in his studio instead of searching for the cure or bossing his siblings around. His back was to her and she took a moment to appreciate his form in dark jeans and a deep maroon Henley shirt. The muscles in his shoulders and back shifted smoothly with his brush strokes and she jumped when he spoke.

"Like what you see, love?" Apparently, she hadn't been that stealthy walking up the stairs.

Caroline made a humming noise in agreement and walked forward to tentatively wrap her arms around his waist and looked at the painting over his shoulder. It was her last night – rumpled t-shirt, wild hair, and a light blush on her cheeks combined with her intense gaze at the viewer to make an arresting image of a brazen seductress.

"Is this how you see me?" she murmured. It was kind of hard to believe that he truly saw her as something so tempting, but she could feel his hunger and arousal through the bond.

Klaus set down his paintbrush and turned so their foreheads were pressed against each other. "Is it so hard to believe that I fancy you?" He gave a slight smirk as the repeat of his words from the night of his family's ball.

Caroline closed her eyes and breathed in his woodsy scent mixed with paint; he must have spent some time in the forest today. She took a moment to check her feelings then his through the bond before smiling at the evident sincerity in his statement. "Oh, I believe it buster," she stood on tip-toe to lightly kiss his nose before pulling away to sit on the couch while he cleaned his brushes. "Remember how I told you this morning that we're having dinner with my mom?"

Klaus paused in his actions before resuming his methodical scrubbing. "I do believe you briefly mentioned it, but I must admit to hoping something would come up before we had to follow through."

Caroline rolled her eyes and tucked her legs beneath her on the couch before pulling out her phone. "Well, nothing came up and we're having dinner together. Klaus, she needs to get to know you! She thinks I'm getting involved with a mass murderer who's going to kill me in my sleep before burning my town to the ground."

Klaus' eyes widened at her vivid description before catching the twinkle in hers. "Oh no, love, I would never burn a town full of perfectly good people to eat," he quipped.

"So," she shifted to face him more fully, "what time should I tell her? Do you want to go out somewhere? Actually, no, I don't think that's a good idea. What if we go to my mom's place? Maybe we should pick up food on the way though – "

Klaus gently cut her off, "Why don't we invite her here? I can cook or ask Alonso to prepare something and maybe she won't be so averse to the idea of me if she gets to view me in my natural habitat."

Caroline scoffed at the idea of her mom looking at Klaus like he was a zoo animal. "Wait, who's Alonso? Do you have a cook on staff that I don't know about? You know what, never mind – that sounds perfect, except Alonso. I don't want her to feel weird, I'll just pull something together and we'll have a nice family dinner."

Sighing quietly about having to send his chef away, Klaus agreed, and followed her to the kitchen. "What's mine is yours, love, have at it." He gestured to the fridge and pantry before pulling plates and candles from a nearby cupboard for the dining room table.

Caroline was lost in thought cutting up sausage for the pasta she planned to make. What if her mom hated him? Also, they hadn't really talked about where they were as a couple since last night. Eww, did she just refer to herself and Klaus as a couple? Thinking about it, it seemed accurate. She was Klaus' mate, it shouldn't be hard to admit to herself that they were in a relationship. A weird relationship, but still. Moving to chop an onion and mince garlic, her thought continued to spiral. Were they just casual lovers? No, mates were not casual, but it all just felt so _uncomfortable_ all of the sudden.

"Klaus," she waited until he looked up from chopping zucchini, "can we talk about last night?" At his slight nod, Caroline plowed full steam ahead. "This feels weird, do you feel weird? Like, what are we now? I mean, I know we're mates and all that, but like, what does that even _mean?_ Am I your girlfriend?" That term felt childish as soon as it left her mouth, but she continued anyway. "Here's the thing. I don't hate you. I mean, I've never _really_ hated you, but I really don't hate you now. Actually, I like you, I like you a lot and I feel like I've gotten to know this whole different side of you this last week and I guess I'm just feeling confused because this is all happening so fast."

Klaus waited a moment to ensure she was finished. "We can certainly talk about last night in however much detail you'd like, love," he looked up at her from beneath his eyelashes with a half-smile, "but in all seriousness, I'm pleased to hear you don't hate me. In regard to you being my girlfriend, I find the term to be a bit inadequate for my feelings towards you, but we can use that term if you like. Being mates means that you are my other half and as such you are the most important person in my life." He watched her suck in a breath and reached a hand to cover hers in reassurance. "Caroline, breath. _You_ are the most important thing to me – your safety, your health, your happiness, _you_. That isn't to say that this sort of relationship doesn't come with its challenges, but I suppose we'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

Holy shit. Was that Klaus' way of professing his love to her? Caroline wasn't sure what love from Klaus would look like, but she believed every word he said, and the bond confirmed it. "Klaus, I don't know what to say, I – "

"You don't have to say anything, love, not until you want to. Now, shall we finish this before the sheriff arrives?" With that Klaus carried his cutting board to the oven and slid the vegetables onto a pan to roast, leaving Caroline to wonder if she could feel the same way.


	9. Chapter 9

Caroline had just finished straining the linguine when the doorbell rang. She moved the pasta to a bowl and glanced at Klaus to check that he was alright finishing the sauce while she greeted her mom.

"Hi, Mom. How was work today? Come on in, I can take your jacket and purse for you. Oh, Mom you look really nice, is that a new top?" Looking back at her mom's face, Caroline realized she hadn't left any room for answers in her questioning. She hated being nervous, but this felt like a big deal and she couldn't seem to settle the pit of anxiety in her stomach.

Liz smoothed her top and smiled slightly at her daughter. "Thanks, sweetie, I pulled it out of the back of my closet. I guess I don't wear nice things often enough if you're so surprised though," she quipped with a light laugh.

Caroline narrowed her eyes. She thought she'd caught something out of place when her mom was trying to smooth out wrinkles, but she couldn't be completely positive, and she didn't want to make things any more awkward than they had to be. Then Liz shifted, and Caroline was sure. She leaned in close to her mother's ear and tried to whisper quiet enough that Klaus wouldn't hear.

"Mom, are you carrying a gun? To a dinner party where I'm _trying_ to build a more peaceful relationship between you and Klaus?"

Liz had the decency to look slightly chagrined but refused to remove the weapon. "I'm the sheriff, Caroline, and I won't be in his home without any means of protection."

Caroline rolled her eyes. She was guessing the gun was loaded with wooden bullets, but those wouldn't do any good against Klaus or his siblings. Deciding to drop the issue, she pulled her mom into the kitchen and got her a glass of wine to tide her over until dinner was ready.

"Good evening, Sheriff. Thank you for joining us in my home, I understand this likely isn't the easiest thing." Klaus placed a small platter of cranberry brie crostini on the counter near Liz and sampled one first. Not that she should have been concerned about poison, if Klaus wanted the sheriff dead, it would be accomplished in a much bloodier manner.

"It was thoughtful of you to have me and I'm eager to learn more about my daughter's newest love interest." Liz popped an appetizer in her mouth and fixed Klaus with a steely glare.

" _Mom!_ Seriously?" Caroline looked over from her spot near the oven where she was adding balsamic vinegar to oil for a bread dip.

"What? I don't think it's unreasonable for me to be interested in the dynamics of my _eighteen-year-old_ daughter's relationship. Besides, isn't this what you wanted? For me to get to know Klaus and the two of you as a couple?" Caroline blushed and rolled her eyes but didn't respond to her mother's baiting. Her mom might be the sheriff and have interrogated lots of people, but Caroline wasn't ready to be next.

"Let's just…" Caroline took a deep breath to center herself and started over. "Why don't we move to the dining room and start with salad?" She pulled the apron she was wearing over her head and hung it in the small closet near the pantry before grabbing her own wine glass and chugging it on her way to the table.

Klaus beat her to the table, of course, and pulled her chair out. Those old-world manners certainly did come in handy when she was trying to impress her mom. "Thanks," she breathed as he slid her chair in smoothly. Klaus brushed his hand lightly over her hair in reassurance before moving to seat her mother.

"Shall we get this out of the way at the beginning, love?" Klaus looked to Caroline's surprised face for a slight nod before turning back to Liz. "As I am half werewolf, I have the capacity to have a mate determined by the spirts that control the realm of the Other Side. My mate is your daughter, which we discovered recently. Being mates has some special meaning for wolves, it's a lifelong commitment and there are some conveniences such as a strengthened emotional bond." Klaus put a bite of salad in his mouth and chewed to allow Liz a moment to collect her thoughts.

"Why my daughter? She's still a child!" At Caroline's huff, Liz corrected herself. "Fine, a vampire. She's a vampire, one who was only turned a year and a half ago!"

"Mom, neither of us knew this would happen, but it did, so we're making the best of things." Caroline tried to placate her mother.

"Why now? You've been in town for over a year, so why are you suddenly 'mated' with my daughter?" Liz angrily pointed at Klaus with her fork.

Klaus flicked his eyes towards Caroline and sent a wave of apology across the bond before replying. "I bit your daughter and healed her. When we shared blood, the bond was completed." He could feel Caroline's shock, presumably at his honesty about biting her, coursing through him.

"Wait." Liz lowered her fork to her half-eaten salad and leaned towards Klaus while one hand moved slowly towards her hip. "You _bit_ Caroline? Is this some kind of sick game for you? To try to find your mate? You just go around forcing women to drink your blood?"

Caroline could feel Klaus' rage steadily building and intertwined her fingers with his, giving a firm squeeze. "Mom, that's not what happened and that's not fair." She gave her mom a steely glare and pointedly looked at her hand creeping towards the gun to stop the movement. "Klaus didn't unlock his wolf side until last year, so he can't have been going around forcing people to share blood. Also, EW." She gave Klaus' hand one last squeeze before standing and reaching to take her mom's salad. "I'll go get our next plates."

Klaus quickly stood with her and pulled the plates into his own grasp. "Allow me, love" he murmured before following her through the door to the kitchen where she slumped against the counter.

"Ugh. It's going terribly! She hates you, she hates the bond, god, I think she just hates this! The supernatural drama! Two years ago, we lived a quiet life, admittedly we argued a lot, but there wasn't nearly as much murder as there is now." She raised her head to look at Klaus. "Do you think she'll come around?"

Klaus deposited the dishes in the sink and hesitantly cupped his hands to Caroline's cheeks. "Give her a little time, sweetheart; it wasn't that long ago that you hated me as well."

Caroline leaned into his touch and nodded her agreement before moving to dish up plates of Cajun pasta and roasted vegetables for the three of them while Klaus removed the bread loaf from the warming oven. They were ready for round two.

* * *

The silence in the dining room felt suffocating as Klaus, Caroline, and Liz ate. Caroline glanced up to see her mom staring down at her own plate and Klaus looking at her. His eyes narrowed slightly before the front door crashed open and she dropped her fork in surprise.

Rebekah's screech echoed through the mansion and Caroline shut her eyes tightly, hoping it was a terrible nightmare. "Nik! Nik, where are you?"

Klaus rose gracefully from his seat to stand in the doorway and greet his sister as she stormed towards them.

"Nik!" Rebekah waved her arms and Caroline caught the distinct smell of blood. "Why are you not answering your phone? What's the bloody point of you having a cellular phone if you have no intention of picking up when I call?"

"Sister, I have guests, do control yourself. And I have been otherwise occupied this evening with no time to listen to your complaints over the phone." Klaus stepped towards her and Rebekah shrunk back slightly.

She seemed to realize this and pulled herself up to her full height with a sneer. "Excuse me, brother, I didn't realize the illustrious Sheriff Forbes was to be dining in our home-"

"My home," Klaus cut in.

"Of course, your home. I'll just get myself a plate then, shall I?" she mocked even as she did exactly that.

Klaus returned to sit at the table and gave Caroline a small smile in reassurance before turning to her mother. "Please excuse my sister, her manners were developed centuries ago and it seems she hasn't progressed much further than a girl born in the woods." His lips quirked up in a smirk at the sound of Rebekah slamming something on the kitchen counter.

Liz gave a small, forced smile in return. It was clear to both Caroline and Klaus that she was not comfortable with the new ratio of vampires to humans, especially when one of those vampires had no reason to keep her alive.

"So, Mom, how have things been at the station? I heard you were sorta short-handed over the weekend?" Caroline tried to steer the conversation back to something relatively pleasant before Rebekah returned.

"Oh, yeah, things have been a little tight in the force's budget lately, so I've pulled a couple extra shifts while we look for new deputies." Liz's eyes shifted back and forth between Caroline's and watching the door that led to the kitchen while she gave her distracted reply.

Just then the door crashed open and Rebekah marched around the table to take a seat next to Liz. Caroline growled low in her throat at the threat and Rebekah smirked before scooting her chair slightly further from the sheriff.

"Doesn't anyone want to hear what I've been through these last three days?" Rebekah demanded.

"Not particularly, sister," Klaus dismissed her and shifted his attention back to the sheriff. "So, Sheriff, what types of aid would the police force need to be at full strength?"

"Well –" Liz started.

Rebekah slammed her hands on the dining table. "Elijah and that dopple-bitch whore left me for dead and made off with the cure! _That's_ what I've been dealing with!" Finished with her outburst for the moment, Rebekah crossed her arms and leaned back in her chair.

"Wait, what?" Caroline couldn't understand what would make Elijah want to side with _Katherine_ of all people. "So he's with her now?"

Klaus closed his eyes as Rebekah leaned forward. She was clearly enjoying the attention from any person willing to listen.

"Of course he's with her, he has bloody feelings for her! Everything was perfect, we'd found her hiding in a house and were preparing to take back the cure when she turned up behind me and my 'honorable' brother snapped my neck!" At the end of her rant, Rebekah fumed, and it wasn't clear whether she would crush something in anger or begin crying over the betrayal.

"Um…Mom, maybe I should walk you out." Caroline rose from her seat and Klaus did the same. "Maybe we can talk tomorrow night? After cheer practice?"

At her mother's nod, she linked arms with her and moved quickly to the front door where she waited impatiently for Liz to zip her jacket.

"You know, sweetie, I don't–"

Caroline cut her mother off and dragged her outside for a little more privacy before motioning for her to continue.

"Caroline, maybe this is all just moving a little too fast. I mean, a week ago you thought Klaus was an evil monster who had to be stopped and now you're holding his hand to comfort him. More importantly, you're not safe here!"

Caroline rolled her eyes at that. "Mom, I'm safer here with Klaus than I ever have been with my friends. He's literally the most powerful person in the world and stopped all of our tries to kill him, so I think I'll be alright."

"But Caroline," Liz groaned and wiped her hand across her face. "He tortures people. He _kills_ people. What happened with Tyler? He might be a hybrid but at least _he_ tried to be good. At least he didn't _torture_ people."

At that, Caroline's anger began to grow hot in her chest. "Tyler didn't torture people? Tyler tortured _me!_ Or did you forget when I was held by _his_ pack? _Twice_. I'm not saying he's a terrible person, but we've all made some pretty shitty decisions in the past couple of years!"

Liz stared at her daughter, chest heaving with veins flickering across her face as she tried to control her rage. She'd forgotten – no, forgotten wasn't the right word. She'd let herself believe in her daughter's strength without consciously remembering that that strength had been fought for tooth and nail.

"Look, Mom, I don't want to fight, but I do need you to go home now." Caroline opened the car door for her mother and watched her drive away before taking a breath and turning to go back inside.

* * *

Caroline followed the sound of breaking glass to the den on the first floor of the mansion. "Seriously? You couldn't wait like, one hour for my mom to leave?" she fumed while glaring at the Original sister.

"Oh, I'm sorry, it's not like _this_ isn't important or anything. But please, by all means, go get your mother and we'll sit down to dessert!" Rebekah scoffed while pouring herself another drink.

Caroline flopped onto the couch and crossed her arms over her chest. Rebekah was right, they probably did need to talk about this now, but she didn't have to let the other girl know that she was right.

"That's enough," Klaus shot at Rebekah before turning to Caroline. "I assume your mother is gone home now, love?"

She nodded once but wasn't ready to be a team player just yet.

"Rebekah, you will speak to the witches. Start with Safiya and get a location on the cure then find our brother and his pet. I want a location by morning." Klaus waited for a grumbled acceptance from the other girl before shifting his attention to Caroline. "As for you, love, how would you feel about taking a little road trip?"


	10. Chapter 10

Blood Bond Ch 10

They had been driving for a little over three hours and Caroline was tired and feeling a little cranky. Klaus hadn't given her much time to pack an overnight bag and she'd forgotten her binder for cheer. Ugh. Now she'd have to text someone from the squad to oversee morning practice and the game tomorrow night if she wasn't back. On top of that, she still had some last-minute preparations for prom this weekend and some of those items couldn't be passed off to somebody else. She hated to admit it, but Rebekah would have been the perfect person to boss the others around and make sure nothing slipped through the cracks. Stupid cure, ruining her prom.

Speaking of prom, she wondered if Klaus would go with her. She didn't really want to go stag, but she also couldn't just skip out. Beyond her duties as prom committee chair, she _wanted_ to go – it was senior prom! She'd picked out the perfect dress a few weeks ago with Bonnie and Elena before all the cure drama got out of hand and it would be ready to pick up this afternoon. Maybe she could get Bonnie to swing by the shop and grab it for her.

She glanced over at Klaus and he looked perfectly content to keep driving despite the maddening silence. Normally he was the one prodding her for information about herself and the quiet between them felt slightly uncomfortable. Maybe he was just worried about the cure, but Caroline couldn't help but think that maybe there was something else going on his hybrid head. She supposed he could just be trying to reel in his anger towards Elijah so she wouldn't feel it across the bond though. This whole Elijah-Katherine thing made zero sense to her. She knew that they'd had a fling like 500 years ago, but even if Elijah was still in love with her, he didn't seem like the kind of man to turn his back on family. He certainly hadn't a year ago when they wanted his help to kill Klaus after he broke the curse.

"Klaus? None of this makes sense. Why would Elijah side with Katherine? I mean, I know he has feelings for her or whatever, but the cure isn't some petty thing, and he can't seriously think it's a good idea to let Katherine Pierce of all people control it!"

Klaus glanced at her, one leg folded on the seat beneath her and her body turned towards him and concluded she wouldn't be satisfied with the half-truths and small lies his family normal told. "Elijah was in love with Katerina at our home in England. He asked me to spare her life during the ceremony to break my curse and I refused. A witch gave him an elixir that would supposedly bring her back, but there was no telling how that would interfere with the magic my mother used to bind my wolf side."

"So, how did he save her then?" Caroline chewed her thumb nail while thinking. The Salvatores were secretive and getting information out of them was like pulling teeth and Elena hadn't shared anything about Elijah and Katherine beyond the love triangle after Caroline's transformation.

"Katerina discovered what would be required of her to break my curse and she fled with the help of a lesser vampire named Trevor. Elijah certainly shared more details about the curse than was wise and his mistakes resulted in her flight." Klaus's hands tightened on the steering wheel hard enough that the leather squeaked. "Ultimately, Elijah chose to give his loyalty not to me, his brother, but to his latest paramour and cost me five hundred more years bound with my curse."

Caroline turned to look out the front windshield again. "Huh. I guess I assumed she came to Mystic Falls last year to reconnect with Stefan, but maybe there was more to it than that."

"Don't underestimate her, Caroline, she's cunning and won't hesitate to use you in her war against me." Klaus turned her face towards him with a light touch on her jaw. "I couldn't bear it if you were harmed because of me."

She could feel Klaus's anxiety and possessiveness through the bond and nodded slightly. "Why are we stopping?"

Klaus pulled into a gas station and got out to rummage in the cargo hold of the SUV they were in before tossing her a blood bag. "Snack time," he said with a wink. "I expect Rebekah to have Elijah's location by the morning and you need to be at peak strength when we find him and the doppelganger."

Caroline got out to stretch her legs and got some hot Cheetos from the convenience store. Shrugging at Klaus's disgusted look when she offered to share, she popped a couple in her mouth and settled in for the drive.

* * *

"How much further are we going tonight?" It was nearly one in the morning and Caroline wasn't sure how much longer she could sit still without screaming.

Klaus glanced at the next mile marker before answering. "We'll stop soon, I had Rebekah book a room near the freeway interchange."

Caroline let out a huff of breath and leaned her head against the window. It's not that Klaus was bad company, but she'd had a pretty long day and had hoped to release some steam after the dinner with her mom and Klaus went up in flames. Turning to the radio she scrolled through channels until settling on a pop station and then it was Klaus's turn to sigh. She sent him a serene look as the song ended and perked up as the next began.

"It's fate! We were meant to jam out to this song!" She shot Klaus a sunny smile before turning up the volume and rolling down the car window. He shook his head slightly but did not stop her. "Cause baby now we've got bad blood, you know it used to be mad love, so take a look at what you've done, cause baby now we've got bad blood!"

Klaus looked incredulous at his mate singing along loudly to Taylor Swift in the middle of the night on a deserted freeway before throwing caution to the wind and rolling his own window down to join her.

* * *

The got to the hotel around 1:30 in the morning and Caroline was ready to plop into a comfy bed and pass out. Instead, she stood outside the car and stretched with some yoga poses before following Klaus inside the lobby to check in. Despite being a traveler's hotel, it was well appointed, and Caroline smiled at the blown glass fixtures hanging artfully from the ceiling and the emerald green velvet chaise lounges. Klaus didn't stay in budget motels.

After being handed two room keys, Klaus took her arm in his. "Shall we, love?"

"Don't we need to grab our bags?" She turned towards the doors and saw that the car had already been moved and a staff member had taken their bags to the staff elevator to be placed in their room. This level of service was unexpected, but definitely welcome. She quirked the corner of her mouth into a small smile and shook her head slightly before following Klaus.

Their room was tastefully decorated with an open floor plan and a cozy lounge area beyond the entry way with plush couches that Caroline immediately sank into. Klaus smirked slightly and moved to pour drinks for the two of them.

"Once Rebekah has a location on the doppelganger we'll need to leave, but until then you can relax here." He took a sip of wine and settled himself next to her on the couch and began rubbing small circles on the back her neck with his thumb.

She rolled onto her side so she could see his face before questioning, " _I_ can relax here? What will you be doing?" What was the point of him bringing her along on this trip if he was just planning to stash her away in a hotel the entire time?

"Us villains frequently have things to attend to, love," he said airily. He was being evasive and she knew it.

"Uh uh. That's not how this works, remember? No lies. We agreed, Klaus."

He ran a hand over his face in frustration before looking back at her. "Alright. I have…business to attend to with a vampire near here. He was sired by Katerina nearly 300 years ago and has helped her evade me in the past."

Caroline gnawed on her lip as she considered what he meant by 'business'. Probably torture. "So, let me get this straight. Your plan was to bring me on this trip, dazzle me with a fancy hotel and hope I didn't want to leave? What kind of plan is that? Why am I here Klaus?" She had imagined that Klaus might want her help with something to get the cure back, but maybe she was just here as his entertainment/bed buddy while he ripped people apart and destroyed his brother's chance at love.

"You're here because I want you here, I want to spend time with you and for us to get to know each other a bit more outside the toxic bubble that is Mystic Falls. I have no intention of putting you in a position where you could be harmed, even if it would mean getting the cure sooner."

He spoke earnestly and Caroline could feel his concern for her safety through the bond, but his words set her off. "Let me get this straight," she pushed away from his and the couch to move towards the mini-bar. "I have a cheer team that isn't ready for their performance tomorrow night, I'm in charge of a bajillion things for prom this weekend and there's no one else competent enough to manage them, I already missed class on Monday to babysit you at Elena's, one of my best friends is in the middle of a crisis and is probably out _eating_ people with Damon, Bonnie's boyfriend just _died_ , and you thought this was the perfect moment for a romantic getaway? That I should just hang out and watch a movie while you go torture someone? NO. Absolutely not." Her chest heaved and her face was flushed with anger at Klaus. She accidentally crushed the small bottle of Rosé in her hand and brushed the broken glass away. "What's the point of those stupid combat lessons you've been putting me through if I can't be trusted to help?"

Klaus looked at her with surprise that quickly turned to frustration then anger. "The _point_ Caroline, is keeping you safe. Katerina – "

"Is dangerous, I get it. She's already killed me once and I don't plan on giving her a second try," Caroline snarled at him before stalking off to the bedroom and kicking off her sneakers. She whirled on Klaus, "Look, the things going on at home are important, Klaus. I could be helping my friends right now or checking off one the many things on my to-do lists, but I'm here with you because I think this is important too. Katherine can't keep the cure and I don't want her stuffing it down your throat, so I'm here. Let me help."

* * *

Caroline woke up early the next morning and stretched under her blankets on the couch. After shouting at Klaus last night, she felt awkward sharing a bed with him. That stupid hybrid still hadn't agreed to let her help in his plan to get the cure back and she was beyond frustrated that he thought she was helpless. In a petty move to get back at him, Caroline ordered nearly $300 worth of room service for breakfast and was eating French toast and drinking a mimosa when Klaus emerged from the bedroom and joined her at the table.

"Do you know why I've never loved anyone since becoming a vampire?" he added some caviar to his omelet and poured himself a bloody mary.

Caroline was surprised at the abrupt question, usually she was the one to bring up things that would lead to talks about feelings. She shook her head no.

"Love is weakness. Loving someone is an announcement to the entire world that there is something of great importance to you that can be used as leverage." He put a small bite of food in his mouth. "Rebekah has fallen prey to love many times and it has never ended happily for her. My eldest brother Finn loved a woman and they were never together, even Elijah was weakened by his love for Katerina. Kol was the only sibling that was never trapped by his feelings for another."

Caroline lowered her fork and felt tears prick her eyes before blinking rapidly. What was he saying? Did he want to break their bond? She was floored by how much that thought hurt, especially considering she was the one who wanted it broken only a week ago.

"Caroline," she looked back at his face. "I'm not trying to tell you that this is a mistake or that we should break the mate bond. The reality is that my life is dangerous, and I have many enemies around the world who wouldn't hesitate to take you, harm you, or kill you in an attempt to hurt me. It is crucial that you be able to defend yourself against these enemies because I cannot guarantee that I will always be by your side to protect you."

Well, at least that explained his insistence on combat lessons. She gave him a small smile to acknowledge his words.

"On that note, I will do my all to ensure your safety as we retrieve the cure from Katerina, but you must remain vigilant at all times."

"Wait. Are you saying that I get to help once we get a location?" she raised her eyebrow and leaned forward.

Klaus closed his eyes briefly before opening them again. "That's exactly what I'm saying"


	11. Chapter 11

Blood Bond Ch 11

Rebekah called with a location from her witch contacts midmorning and Klaus and Caroline packed their things to get back on the road. Katherine was only 50 miles away from the hotel they had stayed in and Caroline was nervously bouncing her leg in the passenger seat, thinking about all the possible outcomes. What she would do if Katherine tried to destroy the cure, how she could respond if there were other vampires there to hold her or Klaus down. Realistically, there weren't many things that Caroline _could_ do beyond trying to fight someone or kill them. She didn't look forward to either option.

"What do you think Katherine wants?" she glanced over at Klaus to hear his answer.

He scoffed. "Her freedom. Ridiculous. She's been on the run for five centuries and she believes that I'll just forgive her for what she's done to me and leave her be." His eyes darkened and she felt his rage course through her body. "Katerina is mine."

Caroline turned to look out the window as she thought about his answer for a few moments. On the one hand, Katherine did kill her, and she couldn't honestly say she'd be sorry to see a Katherine-less world. But Klaus had been trying to kill Katherine, not just a temporary snap of her neck, but drain her of all her blood in a ritual sacrifice to unleash the beast within himself. Who could blame her for running?

"So, you're going to kill her?" she didn't look at him this time.

"Murder wasn't on today's agenda," he smirked.

Caroline groaned and rolled her eyes and tried to remember that Klaus might be her one shot at love now that they were mates. Murder agendas, ugh. "It's not on anyone's."

Klaus glanced over at her and seemed to understand that she was upset with his lack of care for the doppelganger's life, but he would not apologize for his actions for the last 1,000 years. Instead, he tried a joke to lighten the mood, "No, no, it is on mine, just not until next Thursday."

She didn't much appreciate the attempt at humor but decided to change the topic slightly rather than continue to argue about the merits of murder. She purposely chose a line of inquiry that was likely to frustrate him. "So, Katherine is yours, huh? And here I thought _I_ was yours. You know, the whole mate thing and all…"

Klaus looked slightly chagrined and she couldn't hold back her laugh. "I'm kidding, Klaus!" To make up for teasing him she sent calm and happy feelings across the bond. Lord knows he could use more of those in his life.

* * *

"Stay in the car until I tell you it's safe," Klaus was straightening the cuffs on his jacket outside of the modest home Katherine and Elijah were staying in. He removed his sunglasses and carefully placed them on the dashboard before touching his necklaces once and exiting the car.

Caroline remained seated for the three seconds it took for Klaus to kick in the door of the home and test the barrier before she hopped out of the car and headed to the side of the house. Stay in the car, as if. She rolled her eyes and muttered silently to herself. She'd have to remind him again later that she wasn't one of his hybrids and didn't take orders from him.

Peeking inside the windows she passed, it was hard to imagine Katherine staying in the house. It had tacky carpeting and worse curtains, but she supposed beggars couldn't be choosers. Making her way towards the back door, Caroline saw two half full mugs of coffee on the kitchen counter and she dropped to a crouch. She waited until the count of five then moved slowly towards the back door making as little noise as possible. She wanted to be in place in case Katherine decided to make a run for it while Elijah distracted Klaus.

"Brother," she heard Klaus call, "let's discuss this like civilized adults. I know that you and Katerina are inside, and I know that she has the cure." Klaus's voice dropped slightly, "Come outside and deliver it to me before I burn this lovely home to the ground."

She heard a sound like rocks scraping together before the front windows shattered. Klaus must not be feeling patient.

"Now, Niklaus. That's no way to treat a home that we are guests in." Elijah's voice was unmistakable, and Caroline could picture him adjusting his tie as he spoke.

"Ah, it's good to see you brother. I had feared for your safety after you stopped answering my calls and I was truly worried after Rebekah reported that you had made off with the doppelganger and my cure."

"To be sure. You've always held a high level of concern when it comes to your family's safety, Niklaus."

Caroline could hear movement inside and crouched behind the bushes and flowers near the back wall of the house.

Klaus growled and Caroline knew his eyes would be flashing gold. "The cure, Elijah. Now."

The back door sprang open and Caroline leapt into action to see Katherine looking over her shoulder back into the house. She mentally rehearsed the combat lessons she'd had with Klaus and darted forward to snap Katherine's neck before she could turn to run. Holy crap, she'd just snapped _Katherine Pierce's_ neck! The adrenaline was coursing through her body and she felt incredible.

"It seems your paramour wasn't too keen on sticking around, Elijah. You'd best hope that she didn't abscond with the cure."

Klaus's voice snapped Caroline back into action, and she bent to search Katherine's pockets and handbag, finding the cure in a small, dirty glass vial. She quickly tucked it into her own pocket before calling Klaus's name.

In an instant both Original brothers were there, Klaus in a protective stance in front of her and Elijah standing over Katherine's limp body. Elijah relaxed his posture and Klaus did the same.

"So, shall we strike a bargain brother?" Klaus looked into Elijah's eyes, ignoring the doppelganger on the ground.

Elijah cleared his throat, "Katerina will be freed upon your receipt of the cure. 500 years is a long enough sentence for her crimes, Niklaus." Elijah tucked his hands into the pockets of his suit pants and adopted a relaxed pose despite his perfect posture.

Klaus scoffed, "Her crimes cost me _lifetimes_ of pain brother. Do you know what it's like to know that something inside you yearns to be free? Do you have an inkling of the hunger and cravings I endured during every full moon for the past _1,000 years?_ "

Caroline could tell that Klaus was working his way into a murderous rage and touched his arm gently to lend her support.

He whipped around and grabbed hold of her bicep firmly enough to hurt. "We'll discuss your lies later, Caroline," he spat.

That was enough. Caroline wrenched her arm free of his grip and shoved him back, knowing that the only reason she could move him was because Klaus had allowed it. "Lies? _Lies?"_ Caroline was seething. She had just snapped Katherine's neck and stopped her from getting away and Klaus was pissed because she didn't stay in the car?! "No, you know what? We won't," she turned to walk away, and Klaus put his hand on her shoulder. " _Take your hands off me,"_ she hissed. Fortunately, he did, and she made her way to the car, leaving the ancient brothers to work out their own drama.

* * *

Klaus, Elijah, and a passed-out Katherine joined her in the car minutes later and they began the long drive back to Mystic Falls. Caroline could feel anger coursing across the bond, and she wasn't sure if it was her own or Klaus's; she was furious at him and the whole situation. He'd confirmed that they were partners and that he didn't think she was helpless only a couple hours before in their hotel only to try to make her stay in the car? Then, after she'd been helpful, he was angry with her and grabbed her arm hard enough to leave a bruise.

Klaus glanced at her body turned away from him in the passenger seat and raised a hand as if to place it on her leg before thinking better of it. "Are you hurt?"

She leaned her head against the window and exhaled, "No," before lapsing back into silence.

Their tense ride was interrupted when Katherine awoke fifteen minutes later and immediately tried to exit the vehicle only to find herself restrained with a thick chain attached to her ankle.

"Ah ah, Katerina. I think it's time the two of us had a little chat, so I've taken the liberty of inviting you to my home in Mystic Falls." Klaus glanced at her in the rearview mirror and was slightly disappointed that she didn't show more fear.

"Brother, perhaps we could discuss the terms of Miss Petrova giving us the cure while we are confined together for the next few hours." Elijah leaned forward in his seat to try to gauge Klaus's facial expression.

Caroline sighed. This was going to be a long drive if she couldn't speed things up. "Katherine, what do you want from him?"

Klaus snapped his eyes to her turned away body but did not say anything.

"I was wondering if you were planning on joining this mess, Care Bear. We could use some of your neurotic planning and attention to detail." Caroline didn't react. "Ugh, fine. I want to be free. No more running from crazy Klaus over here, no more hiding from the vampires who can't wait to turn me in just to get some measly thanks from the Originals either. I want a public pardon and a ceasefire."

Caroline turned to look at Klaus and noticed the tight set to his mouth and how hard he was gripping the steering wheel despite trying to look nonchalant. She sent a small burst of curiosity across the bond, probing for his feelings on the matter – annoyance. Was he annoyed at her for stepping into the negotiations? For getting out of the car? Or was this something else?

Katherine inspected her nails and seemingly didn't find any flaws. "I suppose a public pardon might be a bit much; I don't need a gala for the Mikaelsons to spread the word that I'm off limits."

Again, Klaus said nothing. She released a long sigh and the party rode silently for the next forty-five minutes.

* * *

"Klaus?" Caroline asked, "Can you pull off up here? I need a break." He glanced over at her in concern but there wasn't anything wrong, she just needed a moment outside of the hostile SUV to re-center herself. Food would be good too, she was starving.

They found a small diner off the highway and Caroline got out of the car to stretch. She looked back at Klaus, sitting perfectly still in the driver's seat and leaned back in, "Want to grab some lunch?"

He masked his emotions quickly, but Caroline felt the jolt of surprise across the bond. "Sorry, love, I need to watch the doppelganger."

She glanced into the back seat at Katherine leaning against the door and looked back at Klaus. "Bring her," she suggested with a shrug, "Where is she going to run out here?" It was true, there was nothing else around the small rest area for at least 10 miles and Caroline felt certain that Klaus could outrun her anyway.

He seemed to consider it for a moment, then smiled slightly as he hopped out of the car and reached for Katherine's door. She pulled away immediately and tried to move as close as possible to Elijah, but there was nowhere for her to go.

"Shall we, Katerina?" Klaus reached in and took her by the arm, sliding her sleeve up to the elbow and biting into her forearm in an instant. "Insurance, you know how it is." His eyes glinted with malice as he reached down to remove the chain from her ankle before pulling her out of the car with Elijah quickly following.

Caroline shook her head slightly at his aggressive behavior but led the way into the diner and chose a booth near the back. She was surprised when Elijah slid in next to her, but it made sense after Klaus blocked Katherine's exit with his body across from them.

An attractive middle-aged server watched them take their seats and brought menus and silverware, "Morning folks. What drinks can I get you started with?"

Caroline smiled up at her, "I'll take a diet coke, please."

"Me too," Katherine chimed in.

Elijah requested bottled water for himself and Klaus before their server made her way to the back, leaving them alone in the diner.

Caroline looked from Katherine to Klaus and back again, hoping that one of them would make a semblance of an effort to be civil, but neither moved a muscle. "Could you excuse me, Elijah? I need to find the ladies' room." Elijah politely exited the booth and offered his hand to help her stand while Klaus watched the interaction closely.

In the restroom, Caroline rinsed her hands under cool water and dampened a paper towel to wipe her forehead and neck. Snapping necks and enduring awkward car rides was hard work. She placed both hands on the counter and let her shoulders and head drop down while she closed her eyes. It was going to continue to be a tense ride home after lunch too. Lifting her head, Caroline forced a smile and pulled her shoulders back. She thought briefly about the vial containing the cure that was resting in her zipped jacket pocket and pulled a few extra paper towels out of the dispenser to cushion it before heading back out.

Caroline thoroughly enjoyed her cheeseburger with bacon, jalapenos and crispy french fries on the side, but Katherine and the Originals seemed much less enthusiastic about the cuisine. After Elijah settled their bill and compelled the staff to forget seeing them, they moved to the SUV to continue their drive.

Klaus had just finished attaching the chains to Katherine's ankle in the backseat when he felt a hand settle on his upper back.

"Can I talk to you?"

He sighed, "I'm a bit occupied at the moment, love, can it wait?"

"No," she replied and walked to the opposite side of the parking lot and waited for him to follow. They were only a couple hundred feet away from the others, but if they spoke quietly no one would overhear them.

She pulled her shoulders back to mentally prepare herself for what was next, "Klaus, were you serious when you said you wouldn't hurt me?"

His eyebrows shot up in shock before he seemed to remember the bruise that he had added to her arm. "Caroline, I apologize about your arm, I was enraged by Elijah and Katerina and you surprised me." He raked his hand through his hair before stuffing his fist in his pocket. "It's no excuse, but it might take some adjustment to have you nearby in hostile situations."

She laid her hand on his forearm and leaned forward, "I'm not talking about that. Well, I mean, yes, we should talk about that and I accept your apology. But I meant right now, will you hurt me?"

He warily shook his head no and she plowed forward. "Good, because I have the cure."

Klaus looked stunned momentarily before schooling his features into an expressionless mask and reigning in his emotions so she couldn't feel him through the bond. "If this is true, why have I been carting the doppelganger around for the past two hours when she could have been disposed of?" his voice lowered in anger. "Why have you waited to share this with me?"

Caroline held her ground and raised her head. "Because I think you should agree to her terms. Five hundred years is plenty long to run and besides, have you seen Elijah? Klaus, I know I've only met him a few times now, but I legitimately think he has feelings for her." Her voice softened and she leaned in closer. "What if she's the one for him, like I'm the one for you?"

He pulled away from her to pace, kicking an abandoned milk crate that was in his path hard enough that it was lost in the forest nearby. She could see his hands clenching and relaxing while he tried to control his emotions and she felt his composure return to him through the bond.

Walking back to her, he held his hand out. "The cure, Caroline."

She took a step back from him and crossed her arms while jutting out one hip. "Seriously? That's how you think this will go? That I just brought you over here to tell you about the cure and hand it over? Uh uh. I'll gladly hand over the cure in Mystic Falls after you've released Katherine and made it clear to whoever it is in the vampire world that hunts people for you, that she's off limits." She blew out a breath. "Elijah deserves a chance, Klaus."

A slight smile quirked his lips and he enfolded her in a hug. "It seems I've underestimated your negotiating skills, love. I'll make the arrangements when we return home."

Caroline leaned back slightly to check his expression and the bond for lies or deception, and when she found none she kissed him softly on the lips. "Thank you," she murmured against his mouth. "And while we're negotiating, how do you feel about prom?"


	12. Chapter 12

Blood Bond Ch 12

Caroline stormed into the manor and was certain that Klaus could feel the rage pouring off her. She'd gone to pick up her dress for prom from the cleaners today, but it was gone. Elena, her not-so-much-anymore best friend had already gotten it earlier that day and nothing else in Caroline's closet would do. It's not that she didn't have any formal dresses, she'd worn them to town functions like the Miss Mystic Falls pageant and the Mikaelson ball, but she didn't want to have to reuse a dress for her last school dance.

"Klaus," she shouted his name from the entryway despite knowing that he could hear her just fine at a normal volume. "Klaus! I need your help!"

That seemed to pull his attention more effectively than the anger he must feel coursing across the bond. She wasn't focused enough to mask her feelings at the moment, but she didn't care. In a flash, Klaus was standing directly in front of her with an eyebrow cocked.

"Elena _stole_ my prom dress!" she waved her arms a bit and waited for him to jump to her rescue.

He looked slightly amused and had to put some effort into tamping down the smile edging the corners of his mouth. "I'm sorry to hear that love, but what am I expected to do? Surely you still consider the girl a friend, one of the people on your little list? Or have you come to your senses and wish me to get her out of our hair and retrieve your dress?" As he spoke, the smile grew to cover his entire face and Caroline wasn't totally certain if he was laughing at her and her dress drama or if he was excited by the prospect of killing Elena.

"Ugh, no Klaus, Elena is still my best friend, she just isn't _acting_ like it lately and I'm angry! I can't just go storming in and take back the dress though, that's exactly what she expects me to do and I _won't_ give her the satisfaction of knowing she got to me." She ran her fingers through her curls and mussed them a bit before stopping to smooth the hairs back into place. "So, can you please help me? I need a dress of royal caliber and I want to look hot! Like Princess Grace of Monaco hot!"

Klaus cocked his head to the side and appraised her before instructing her to follow him and walking back up the stairs. Caroline had started to feel a little more comfortable in his mansion over the last week or so, but she still hadn't found the time or the privacy to snoop through the whole place so it was surprising when he took her to a room on the third floor full of clothing.

"What is this place?" she wondered as she ran her hands gently over a few gowns.

"My siblings and I have been alive for over 1,000 years and over the last few centuries have acquired a number of items we chose to keep. The majority of the dresses belonged to Rebekah, but I'm sure she won't mind us borrowing one." Klaus was already sorting through a rack of gowns a few feet away from her and looked focused on the task at hand, so it was a surprise when the door slammed open.

"The hell I won't, Nik! This isn't just some warehouse that you can use to clothe anyone who walks in with a request, these were all _made_ for me!" Rebekah looked livid and held her hands slightly away from her body in what Caroline recognized as a fighting stance.

Caroline cleared her throat lightly to pull the other girl's attention and quickly wished she hadn't once she was under Rebekah's fiery gaze. "Look, I know that these clothes are yours, and that what I'm asking is a little out there, but are there _any_ that you would be willing to loan me? Just for tonight?" When Rebekah's face still didn't soften, Caroline lowered her gaze a bit and spoke quietly. "I know that you didn't get to go to homecoming and that Elena hurt you. It sucks. But this is my senior prom and I've been working on it for _months_ so it would really suck if I had to miss it."

Rebekah blew out an angry sigh. " _Fine_. But there will be no permanent modifications to make one of my masterpieces fit your lopsided figure." She flashed a small snarky smile at Caroline before turning to Klaus. "And you, get your hands off of my things, you'll cover them with whatever paint you have coated on your shirt."

Rebekah pulled Klaus away from the gowns and started pushing hangers aside with a ferocity that was slightly alarming, but very effective. She pursed her lips slightly and pulled a golden gown out before diving back into the racks and emerging with an ivory one that she tossed at Caroline.

"Put this on and we'll work on the fit," she barked at Caroline before turning to pull the golden dress on her own body.

Caroline glanced once at Klaus who rolled his eyes before turning away to give the girls privacy while they changed. "I think it's a pretty close fit, I just need a little bit taken in at the top here where it's gapping a little," she murmured.

Rebekah glanced over and agreed before pulling out a small sewing kit from a dresser drawer. She was surprisingly gentle as she pinned the excess fabric and began sewing Caroline into the dress. "When we were human, my mother and I sewed many of the clothes worn by our family. Nothing this glamorous, of course, but I've been around long enough to learn a thing or two about design."

Caroline was shocked that Rebekah was sharing details about her life and had to remind herself not to gape at the other girl. "Why are you being kind to me? I mean, don't get me wrong, I like it, I just don't understand," she trailed off.

Rebekah tugged on the needle to break the thread. "Finished. It shouldn't be too difficult to remove the stiches when you're done with it." She began packing the sewing supplies. "And I'm being kind to you because you're Klaus's mate. You might not understand what all that means just yet, but it means you're going to be around. And if you're around, then maybe Klaus will forget to make me miserable and I can finally find love for myself."

* * *

Caroline gracefully walked down the grand staircase in Klaus's mansion to find him lounging on a leather armchair next to a fireplace. "Ahem," she cleared her throat to get him to turn his attention to her even though he had doubtlessly heard her enter the room in her high heels.

His gaze roamed her body hungrily and Caroline felt a blush creep up her neck before he spoke. "You look breathtaking, love." He slowly closed his book and rose to step towards her, but she quickly backed away.

"Hold it right there," Caroline put her hands up to block Klaus's advance on her. She hadn't spent the last three hours getting ready for her prom just for him to touch her with his paint stained hands and ruin it. "Why aren't you dressed? We have to go in like," she glanced over at the clock on the mantle and felt nerves surge through her body, "Twenty minutes!"

She had expected Klaus to fly into action, but he just gaped at her. "What do mean we have to go? Surely you didn't expect me to attend your high school dance, Caroline?"

 _Ugh_. How were men so stupid?! Of _course_ she wanted him to go with her! Wait, had she even told him that though? In all the drama of getting the cure and getting back to Mystic Falls just in time for her cheer practice yesterday, she hadn't discussed prom with him at all. She'd been so slammed last night with homework from missing yet another day of school that it hadn't even crossed her mind to formally invite him as her date.

She stepped a little closer and laid her gloved hand on Klaus's bicep. "I mean, I know I didn't ask you with like, balloons or anything," he cringed slightly at that, "but, I would really like it if you would come with me." Before he could say anything she rushed to add, "I know that it's just a high school dance and you're probably so over that, but this is important to me and I'll only get to do this for the first time once and I'd _really_ like it if we could go together."

Klaus could feel her nervousness and hope seeping across the bond and he blew out a small breath. There was very little he wouldn't do for this baby vampire.

Klaus had come back down the stairs with three minutes to spare and Caroline was relieved that she wouldn't have to go to the dance alone and not only that, Klaus was _hot_ in a tux. He held his arm out to her and she gently tucked her hand through before remembering the blonde upstairs.

"Rebekah," she called only slightly louder than she would if the other girl had been in the room with her, "you ready? We're heading out now if you want to come with us."

Klaus shot her a surprised look but quickly schooled his features as his sister descended the staircase.

"I'm not your charity case, Caroline," shot Rebekah. Nevertheless, she led the way out the door and slid gracefully into the backseat of Klaus's black SUV.

Caroline rolled her eyes and gave Klaus a quick squeeze on the arm before they followed.

* * *

They were on their third slow song when Caroline laid her head on Klaus's shoulder while he tightened his grip on her waist. It felt crazy that just a week ago she had been planning to come to prom with Tyler and she had truly felt like he might be the one. Looking back on it now, now that she was Klaus's mate and had seen him in a different light over the past week, she couldn't imagine being here with anyone else. Their bodies fit together perfectly, and Caroline knew that they were one of the best-looking couples in the room.

"Klaus?" she murmured his name quietly enough that he was the only one likely to hear her. He hummed in acknowledgment and she sighed out a small breath. "Thank you for coming with me, this is perfect."

He pulled back a little bit to smirk at her and she shot him a quizzical look. "And is this perfect evening beyond annoying?"

Caroline quickly hid her face in his shoulder to hide his blush at him quoting her words to him from the Miss Mystic Falls pageant. "Nope," she mumbled into his shoulder, "but if you keep that up it will be!"

He laughed lightly and spun her deftly before pulling her back close to his chest. "Well then, I'll be certain to be on my best behavior."

"Isn't this cozy? The big bad hybrid tamed by vampire barbie," Caroline turned her head to see Elena sneering at them in _her_ dress. She raised her arms slightly, "What do you think? I just picked it up today." She ran her hands lightly over her hips to accentuate the dress and Caroline felt rage boil beneath her skin.

"What do I _think?_ I think you look like a backstabbing little –" Elena raised an eyebrow expectantly and Caroline felt Klaus shift so that he was slightly in front of her. Ugh. This wasn't even really Elena. She blew out a big sigh, "You look lovely, Elena. The color really brings out your eyes."

She turned slightly to continue dancing, but Elena wasn't finished yet. "Yeah, I thought I'd do it a favor, I just don't think you would have done it justice," she shrugged with fake regret and tossed her hair over her shoulder.

Klaus growled low in his throat, "Careful now, I'd hate to get blood on your dress after just one evening, Elena."

Caroline felt irritated that Klaus felt the need to step in for her but didn't want to make a big deal out of it in front of Elena. She certainly didn't need her pseudo-bestie to have any more ammunition.

Rebekah materialized at Caroline's side and she braced for the barbed comments that were sure to come her way but was pleasantly surprised. "Move along now, Elena, you wouldn't want to keep your dates waiting. I'm shocked that they agreed to come with you at all seeing as you've certainly lost your appeal since flipping the switch," Rebekah sighed dramatically, "although I expect there is a fair amount of pity involved in any date you go on so we can't hold it against you too much."

Elena shot the Originals a sickly-sweet smile and turned on her heel before shoving through a throng of dancers on her way out the doors. What the hell was going on? Caroline expected Klaus to react poorly to any type of aggression towards her, but Rebekah's intervention was bewildering.

"I think I liked the previous doppelganger better," Rebekah remarked before moving further onto the dance floor and taking Matt by the hand.

Caroline smiled slightly and shook her head before moving back into Klaus's arms to continue dancing.

* * *

"Do you think Bonnie had a good time?" Caroline had been looking out the window as Klaus drove them back to his home but turned to him for an answer.

He glanced quickly at her before returning his gaze to the road. "I can't say that I spent much time watching the Bennet witch, but I did see her dancing with your friend the quarterback a couple of times."

Caroline sighed dramatically, "They have names, Klaus. And I guess I'm just worried that Bonnie isn't really processing Jeremy's death. I mean, he only died like a week ago and she was there! I think she loved him. That whole thing with Anna was super sketchy, but it was a while ago and I feel like they'd pretty much moved on from it so it's gotta suck that things were just getting back to normal when Silas killed him. It just always feels like Bonnie get the crappy end of the stick." Klaus made a slight humming noise and she took that as encouragement to continue. "I haven't really seen her practice magic since coming back from the island either. I know she'd been working with Professor Shane and I'm worried that things are going to get hard now that she's alone again. I just wish that there was someone for her to talk to about magic because she hasn't really had that since her Grams died forever ago."

Klaus reached across the center console to take her hand and gently rubbed circles on her palm. "I can't say that I know much about witchcraft, but I do know a few witches that I could summon to Mystic Falls if you think it would help. Rebekah might know something helpful, but it was really Kol who was fond of witches."

Caroline squeezed his hand at the mention of Kol and he cleared his throat lightly. "I'll try talking to Bonnie first, I don't want to just show up at her house with a stranger and hope that she wants help with her magic. But thank you, that's really thoughtful and I might just take you up on it."

They pulled into the driveway at the mansion and Klaus was opening her door before she could unbuckle her seatbelt. She took his hand to get out of the car and used her grip to tug him closer to her to plant a soft kiss on his jaw.

"Thank you for tonight, everything was perfect – the dress, the dancing, everything." She wound her arms around his neck and relished in the feeling of his warm hands on the small of her back. "Speaking of this dress, can you help a girl out? I'm literally sewn into this thing and I don't want to risk Rebekah's wrath if I accidentally rip it trying to get the zipper down."

Klaus followed her up to the room he had designed for her and gently removed the stitches that Rebekah had added to the garment. Once finished, Caroline had to hold part of the top to keep it snug against her body.  
"I need a minute, how about I meet you downstairs after I change? I think I just need some sweats or something," Caroline was suddenly feeling awkward. They'd had a super great evening together and she felt like things were naturally leading towards sex, and she wanted that, truly, but she also needed time to catch her breath. Everything with Klaus was just moving so fast and she felt like her life was starting to spiral out of control.

Caroline played nervously with the hem on her t-shirt while she stood in front of Klaus in the lounge that she had found him in earlier that night. "Can we talk?" She had to share her feelings with him, partly because she wanted him to know where she was at and partly because they had agreed on no lies. Their dumb bond had probably already alerted him that she was feeling anxious anyway.

His face betrayed no emotions and she moved to sit on the couch opposite him. "Tonight was perfect," he nodded slightly, "and I've really loved getting to see a different side of you this week, but I need time. I'm not ready to jump right into another relationship and I don't think it'd be fair to you if I just dove in right now. I know that things are obviously tricky with Tyler," he narrowed his eyes at the mention of his hybrid's name, "but I want to figure this out."

She waited for what felt like forever before he finally spoke. "I understand that this hasn't been easy for you, Caroline, and I assure you that it has not been easy for me either. This is unfamiliar territory for me and I'm unsure of how this," he motioned between them with his hand, "will work, so I agree. Why don't we take this slow and we'll see how things progress?"

Caroline beamed at him and he felt relief and happiness sweep across the bond in waves. She leapt up from her seat on the couch and moved to join him in the oversized armchair, "Thank you." She placed a soft kiss on his stubbled cheek and lingered for a moment before pulling away. "What should we do now?"

Klaus seemed to think for a moment before his face twisted into a sly smile, "Ice cream?"

* * *

***Thanks for reading!


	13. Chapter 13

Blood Bond Chapter 13

Caroline woke to the sun warming her body beneath the duvet and snuggled deeper. The last couple of weeks had been crazy and she wasn't sure what was going to come next. It felt like forever ago that she had shared blood with Klaus and found out that they were mates, but it had really only been eight days. Her whole life had been turned upside down, but Mystic Falls had maintained its breakneck pace of insanity concerning anything supernatural. How was she supposed to figure out what her feelings were towards Klaus and what feelings were manufactured by their bond?

She had seen both Tyler and Elena when they were sired, and they didn't even realize that they were doing things that they would never normally do. What if that's what was going on with her and Klaus? Maybe everything she'd been feeling the past few days was just some supernatural mumbo jumbo designed to force her to be with Klaus. Sometimes being a vampire sucked. This crap never happened to her when she was human. But then again, nothing great ever happened to her as a human either and she wouldn't ever want to go back.

Ugh, focus Caroline. The bond, her feelings for Klaus. Klaus. He really was kind of great, and her feelings for him weren't totally new. She'd be lying to herself if she said she felt nothing towards the man prior to finding out they were mates. She could still remember how it felt when he sat behind her on her bed at her mom's house, his warm chest pressed against her back while he healed her from Tyler's bite. That had really been the start of their weird relationship because since that night, Caroline had always been hyper-aware of Klaus whenever she was near him. Even Klaus had said he'd fancied her before any of this bond nonsense, so it can't all have been manufactured like a sire bond was.

She still didn't think she was in love with Klaus though. She'd been in love with Tyler only a week and a half ago! Not to mention that Klaus was the reason she wasn't with Tyler right now, bond or not. But she'd tried going back to Tyler the morning she found out she was Klaus's mate and she'd felt…nothing. No spark, no intense feelings, not even pleasure when he touched her. And it wasn't for lack of trying. Caroline had thrown herself into that kiss, hoping that the bond and everything that came with it were lies.

How was she even supposed to know what love was? The only people she was 100% certain that she loved were her mom, Bonnie, and Elena. Caroline blew a stray piece of hair out of her face, thinking about how Klaus was noticeably absent from that list. Not that she didn't _really like him_ , but it didn't feel like the same level of emotional intensity as her feelings towards her mom and friends. Different feelings, to be sure, but not as strong yet.

Caroline grew tired of the self-analysis and kicked off her covers, grabbed a robe from the closet, and made her way downstairs to find breakfast. Klaus's kitchen was immaculate, and Caroline took a moment to marvel at the fact she never ran into any of the house staff – she'd have to ask Klaus about it later. She opened a few cupboards and was thrilled with the shelves full of tidy kitchen staples, alphabetized for easy searching. Caroline pulled out ingredients to make chocolate chip pancakes and had just started mixing the batter when she heard a human making their way downstairs.

She hated to admit it, but Klaus's teaching had been paying off because she barely had to focus to register the difference in human and vampire hearts now.

Caroline vamp-sped to the alcove by the front door, hoping to get a peek at whoever was sneaking out of the Mikaelson's house, and was surprised to see Matt. Had he just spent the night with Rebekah? She'd seen them dancing at the prom last night, but she hadn't really thought of them as a couple.

"Want pancakes?"

Matt jumped at the sound of her voice and spun around before spotting her by the door. He gave a sheepish smile, "Sure."

"Sooooo, you and Rebekah huh?" Caroline lightly elbowed him in the side as she led the way back to the kitchen.

"You and Klaus huh?" Matt wrinkled his nose a little but gave her a friendly nudge in return.

"Oh, I kind of assumed Elena or Bonnie would've told you," Caroline bit the inside of her cheek for a moment. Was it ever going to get easier to say the words out loud? "It turns out that Klaus and I are mates."

Matt lowered his brow in concern, "You mean like you guys are dating, and this is some new weird vampire way of saying that?"

"No, um, you know how in Twilight, Jacob imprints on Bella's daughter? Kind of like that. It's a wolf thing apparently, and since Klaus is a hybrid, I guess nature chose me." Caroline looked into the bowl of pancake batter she was mixing, trying to determine if there were enough chocolate chips while Matt processed.

"So, in this situation you're Bella's daughter?" Caroline nodded. "And you're ok with that?"

She thought about it for a moment before answering. "Not at first. I totally freaked out when Klaus first told me what was happening, and then I left to look for answers by myself. I feel like I've kind of figured some stuff out though and it's helped. But it's not like I can just end things with him, we literally need each other, or we'll go insane, so I sort of feel like there aren't any other options except to be ok with it." She blew out a big breath and laid her palms flat on the counter.

Matt laid a hand on top of hers and squeezed. "That kinda sucks, Care."

She looked up and couldn't help laughing. "That's it? I'm the supernatural mate to an immortal hybrid who has been terrorizing our town for the last year, and that's it?" She dropped her head back and laughed harder, eventually wiping a tear from her eye.

Matt was grinning now, "Well, I mean, you're Caroline Forbes and if there was another option, I'm sure you would've thought about, so yeah, it sucks and you're just gonna have to make the best out of it."

She grinned back, "You know this morning I was lying in bed thinking about everything that could possibly go wrong with this stupid mate situation, but you're right. I guess my real fear is that I have feelings for Klaus, and I can't tell what's mine and what's being made up by the bond."

Matt got serious again, "But you're not just his mate, right? Like he's your mate too?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Well, it doesn't sound like Tyler's sire bond - he had no control over Klaus but couldn't stop doing whatever Klaus wanted. It sounds like you guys have more of an equal partnership thing going on. Even though nature, or whatever, forced this on you, it isn't one sided and you're not some helpless victim."

Caroline thought about that as she flipped the pancakes that were ready. She tapped the spatula against the counter, waiting for them to finish, before turning back to Matt with a smile. "When did you get so wise?"

"When he started associating himself with a superior class of lady, like myself." Rebekah strode into the kitchen and took a seat on a stool next to Matt, popping a chocolate chip into her mouth. "When will breakfast be done?"

* * *

After stuffing herself with chocolately pancakes and blood, Caroline left the mess for Matt and Rebekah/the unseen house staff. She made her way back up the stairs, running her hand along the banister, to change and look for Klaus, finding him in his office.

"You know," she leaned against the doorway and popped her hip out, "I didn't really picture you as the kind of hybrid who has a desk job."

Klaus was seated in an oversized chair behind an intimidating mahogany desk covered in official looking documents and a sleek laptop. There was a tasteful potted plant in one corner of the room next to two armchairs and a small wet bar that looked like it got a lot of use. An entire wall was devoted to books, which seemed a bit odd to Caroline since there was a separate library within the house, but maybe these were special or related specifically to whatever business the Mikaelsons conducted.

Klaus leaned back in the chair with a smirk and stretched his arms overhead, "Someone in this family has to manage our vast fortunes."

"Hmmmm," Caroline wandered into the room and stopped to look at a piece of art on the wall she couldn't see from the doorway. "Seems like something Elijah would be into."

She walked further into the office and nudged Klaus so he would scoot further back to make room for her to seat herself on the edge of the desk. Her hands rested on the desk edge while his moved to rest at the curve of her hips.

"He's a bit indisposed at the moment," his smirk turned bitter, "I'd wager for the next few years."

Caroline frowned at that. "Huh? Klaus did you dagger him?" She pushed his hands off of her and threw her own into the air in frustration. "He literally just got back here, like a day ago, and you've already stuffed him in a coffin?"

Klaus looked up at her innocently and gave a small shrug of his shoulders.

"That's it? Uh uh, tell me. _Now_." Caroline had grown bolder in talking to the hybrid over the past week and sometimes she forgot that he was 1,000 years older than her and had killed countless people throughout the centuries. Fortunately, she was confident that she would not be added to the list of victims.

Klaus sighed, "Elijah is currently resting in the basement while I decide what to do with him and the doppelganger."

Caroline considered this for a moment, "Why do you have to decide what to do with him? He's not some burden you have to deal with, he's your brother and he's old enough to make his own decisions. Second, what do you mean you're deciding what to do with Katherine? You already told me that you were going to let this whole thing, where you chase her for the rest of eternity, go!"

"If I remember correctly, I stated that I would make the appropriate arrangements upon returning home. Now that I am home, I'm making the arrangements."

"And Elijah needs to be daggered for these arrangements?" Caroline pushed herself off the desk to pace the room.

"It certainly makes it easier."

"And Katherine? Where is she?"

Klaus hesitated, "She is also in the basement."

Caroline closed her eyes for a moment and pressed her fingertips to her lips. "And that's code for vervained and locked in a cell, right?"

He gave a slight nod.

Caroline sighed deeply and held her hand out to Klaus who looked at her questioningly, "Well, come on. We're not leaving your brother and the possible love of his life to rot while you deliberate who to email about not killing her!"

She held his hand tightly as she pulled him down the large staircase before looking to him to lead the way to the basement/dungeon. He opened an unobtrusive door that held a staircase covered in a plush grey carpet – it was probably hard to get bloodstains out of.

"Why don't I ever see housekeepers or gardeners or something here? I mean, I also never see any messes so," she pulled slightly on his arm when he didn't answer immediately.

"The staff is compelled to remain out of occupied rooms and share no details about their work with anyone else. I've found it's best to maintain privacy in matters of my home."

Klaus led her past an enormous wine cellar in what looked like a glass case. "Climate controlled room, love," he answered her tug on his hand before pointing out a cinema with plush couches and recliners, a popcorn machine in one corner, and a gigantic screen on the wall.

They stopped at a dead end with a doorway to the left and Klaus entered a combination on the keypad then pressed his thumb to a sensor before the door clicked open.

The floor in this room was a gleaming white tile and there were drains inconspicuously placed every ten feet. Convenient for a house full of crazy Originals. Two large stainless-steel cabinets stood against one wall and Caroline shuddered to think what was inside them. Most disturbingly, Katherine Pierce was slumped against the wall of a plexiglass enclosure, staring out at the coffin Caroline assumed Elijah was daggered in. Katherine looked like an unhappy zoo animal, but Caroline quickly shoved that image from her mind. One, this was serious – Klaus had people locked in his creepy sterile dungeon – and two, even though Katherine was locked up at the moment, Caroline had every intention of getting Klaus to release her and Elijah, and Katherine was a vengeful woman who probably wouldn't appreciate being laughed at while locked in a glass cage.

Caroline turned to look at Klaus who was watching Katherine.

"Are you ready to apologize yet, Katerina?"

Katherine's eyes tightened, but she didn't say a word.

Klaus walked forward and crouched to be on eye level with the girl. "As you know, I spent the last one thousand years searching for the ingredients to break my curse. I suffered disappointment when my dear brother chose to protect you rather than help his own flesh and blood, regardless of the oaths he had sworn." He lifted a finger to tap on the glass. "If you think for one moment that you will be released prior to giving me what I want, you are delusional. The daggers won't harm me, and the only way out of that cell is if I lift the compulsion that has you contained."

What. The. Hell. She was mated to a literal psychopath. Caroline did her best to tamp down her revulsion and sent white hot rage across the bond and knew it worked when Klaus's spine stiffened. She made no effort to be quiet as she stomped from the room and back up the stairs to wait for Klaus to finish playing his disgusting cat and mouse game with Katherine.

* * *

Caroline was seated on the floor of one of the sitting rooms working on her math homework when Klaus found her. The coffee table was plenty large enough for her to spread all of her work out, so it was the perfect setup. She heard Klaus stop walking at the doorway, but didn't look up, instead choosing to focus on solving a problem about optimizing the fence perimeter of a farmer's field to give him a maximum land area. Who came up with these problems?

"I can't let this go with no consequences, love."

Caroline typed some numbers into her calculator and wrote the answer on her paper before carefully underlining it so it would be simple for the graders to find.

"Try to see this from my perspective. I searched for _five hundred_ years to find all the pieces to break the curse that my mother cast on me when the doppelganger appeared in England and was presented to me by some underling." Klaus took a deep breath. "I courted her for nearly a month to keep her in my sight until the full moon and I find out that my dear brother, who had sworn to stand by me always and forever, had fallen for this simpleton who I could hardly stomach being with."

Caroline finally looked up and noted the tense lines of Klaus's body, the crossed arms, and tight grip on his own forearm.

"He went behind my back to a witch who created a miracle elixir to save his precious Katerina's life, possibly at the risk of my own should the elixir somehow spoil the curse breaking. He didn't care. He felt more concern and love for this human girl who he had known for less than a month, than for his own family. Family above all, indeed," Klaus scoffed. "He told Katerina what the curse breaking would entail, and she fled – leaving me to wait another five hundred years to try once again to free myself from the curse my mother cast on me while Elijah held me down." By this point Klaus was breathing heavily and Caroline could feel a slurry of emotions coursing across the bond. Rage, hurt, sadness, regret. More rage.

Caroline stood and crossed the room to stand in front of Klaus, cradling his neck in her hands. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry that happened and I'm sorry that you suffered for so long, but Klaus, you're free. You're the Original Hybrid and the only reason you could create more hybrids was because Elena _survived_. Not that the whole hybrid situation turned out great," she winced. "But you know. And might I remind you that I was turned by Katherine? Well, technically Damon healed me with his blood and Katherine killed me, but still."

Klaus smirked slightly, "I must admit that has been one positive aspect of Katerina's constantly irritating presence."

"I'm not saying you have to forgive her and be best friends all of a sudden, but just take a moment to think about your family. Rebekah is _desperate_ for love and affection, and I can't imagine that Elijah is super thrilled with how things have turned out between him and Katherine. And even though you guys fight and hurt each other, I know that family is the most important thing to you. It's why you made hybrids, right? To try and make a new family that wouldn't be able to betray you?"

Klaus's eyes tightened and he gave the slightest of nods.

"The hybrids are gone, well, except for Tyler, but I don't really see that working out either. My point is that your family is here, Klaus. They're here and it seems like they're trying, so maybe you could try too." She absentmindedly stroked the stubble on his cheeks with her thumbs while he considered what she'd said.

After what seemed like forever, Klaus nodded and Caroline was so excited that he'd agreed to try being a _tiny_ bit more understanding that she stoop on her toes to kiss him.

Klaus immediately deepened the kiss and pressed her back into the door jam while his hands moved to grip the backs of her thighs, pulling her legs to wrap around his waist. Caroline nipped at his lower lip and he pulled back to smirk devilishly at her.

"Shall we release my brother and his paramour now, love?"

Caroline grinned and used one hand to grip the back of Klaus's head, twisting into the hair at the nape of his neck, while the other gripped his bicep. "I mean, I think they could wait a _little_ longer…" She felt clearer about her feelings after talking to Matt, and besides, she was definitely done waiting.

* * *

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